Rotational mini-actuator activated by two antagonist shape memory alloy wires

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are commonly used in the actuator field especially because of their aptitude in recovering a predeterminated shape after a heating/cooling cycle. This shape recovery introduces a mechanical work that can be used to produce rotational or linear movement of a modular actuator. In this work we present a new mini-modular-mechanical rotary actuator activated by two SMA wires having a new original shape. A thermo-mechanical characterization both of the SMA wire and of the modular mini-actuator is presented. A comparison between our mini-actuator and the commercial and the published ones is presented as well.