Design and build a mechanical finger actuated by shape memory alloy

Abstract

From the beginning of Humanity the society has tried to find a solution to any kind of necessity. Because of that the technology was invented. Technology was invented to satisfy the people necessities. In the twenty-first century, has been trying to mix the medicine with technology to produce, through the interaction of the technological and medical advances, unexpected solutions for the human being in the following years. Through the technology has reached to develop a new type of material with a kind of special features, the Shape Memory Alloy. These materials have characteristics which make them very special. Their shape can be changed or deformed but, when heat is applied to them, they come back to their original shape. This property is so interesting which has made think about the possibility of using these materials for medical innovations.

The main objective of the project described below is making a mechanical finger to be actuated by these materials. In this way, being performed for the Shape Memory Alloy, is not necessary having electronic components inside the finger because it is actuated by mechanical principles of tension. Therefore, the project cost drops dramatically and in the near future is possible the mechanical finger could be used for current people who need it.

In this project is also interesting to see the entire process of design and product development, from the approach of the idea until the final assembly of the project, including design and production of the model.