Hasta La Ideas

Mide’s Shape Memory Alloy Starter Kit is targeted at universities and product design labs. The kit contains “invaluable theoretical and product design information the engineers at Mide have developed over a number of years of working with SMA,” along with SMA sheets, wires and tools to manipulate them.

So what are Shape Memory Alloys, or SMA?

Shape memory alloys are a unique class of materials that possess the ability to dramatically alter their shapes based on heat stimulus.

Imagine a future where the only tool in an auto body shop was a hair dryer! Or a damaged mail box could pop back into shape on a sunny day. A future where safety relief valves, such as sprinkler systems, would work every time. And a future of morphing surfaces, where submarines and aircraft could alter their shapes to improve performance over varying flight conditions. All of these scenarios are possible due to the amazing ability of shape memory alloys (SMA) to alter their state.

The stuff sounds cool, but these guys definitely need a better PR crew–the promotional video is a bit underwhelming:

Um…wow. Anyone wanna see paint dry?

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