The shape-memory alloy actuators might power minimally invasive
surgical devices or tiny laptop cameras Shape-memory alloys that
change shape when heated could become tiny mechanical muscles
for electronic devices. New mechanical devices based on the
alloys produce three to six times more torque than electric
motors, and weigh just one-20th as much. Such devices, known as
actuators, can be cut from a flat sheet of metal just a fraction
of a millimeter thick. They emerged from a roject that aims to
build printable robots, where the robots would consist of both
the metal actuators and plastic components that could be built
layer-by-layer through a process similar to inkjet printing.