A fast-response SMA artificial muscle integrated with hydrogel and thermoelectric materials

Abstract Shape memory alloy (SMA) is widely used in the field of soft robots due to its high energy density and favorable load-to-weight ratio. However, the cooling time of SMA wire in the soft matrix is relatively long, limiting its response velocity. In this study, we develop a fast-response SMA artificial muscle (FSAM), which accelerates the cooling rate of SMA wire through the active heat absorption of the thermoelectric module and the evaporation/dehydration of hydrogel. The hydrogel also facilitates the heat dissipation of the thermoelectric module. Additionally, COMSOL is utilized to investigate the thermal characteristics of the SMA wire under different conditions. The simulation results demonstrate that the cooling rate of the SMA wire increases significantly with the proposed heat dissipation scheme.