Nitinol reaction using touch sensor

Hi - I am currently doing my honours in product design and need some help with my final project! Essentially I am trying to create a prototype using Nitinol that changes shape when someone interacts with it.

For this prototype I need to be able to make my Nitinol wire (40 degree temp change) contract/change shape when someone touches a touch sensor. I am not sure how to physically set this up using my Arduino or what coding to use.

Could anyone please advise?
Thanks!

I think if you pass current through Nitinol it will change shape. Figure how much current you need first and then compare that to the capabilities of Arduino.

When I worked with nitinol I used an example straight from the book.

because you will need to control a large voltage (about 12 - 18v) to cause the nitinol to change, you probabbly want to check out page 96 in the arduino handbook that comes in the basic kit. I replaced the button in the diagram with a sensor made of velostat and put a series of sensors together in a similar orientation.

I used this exact set up with a 12v power supply because its stable... i've used 2 9v batteries, but they are notoriously unstable and over heat like crazy.

Good luck!