Would it be possible to use "muscle wire" for any kind of robotic movement, instead of servos, in some cases.?
Would muscle wire be less expensive, and take up less space?
Or is it not practical?
Just wondering, just wondering.
PO'T
Muscle wire takes a lot more current and is slower to react than a servo. It also gets hot as it contracts and the speed of the relaxation depends on the ambient temperature.
It defiantly takes up less space but you need buffers to drive it and a bigger power supply. It can do things no motor can do however so my advice is use it where you need it but it does not replace everything.
Muscle wire can also not normally lift/move very much mass but servos can move much more and therefore are normally more useful in robotic movement applications.
Mowcius
Thanks, Mike.
And mowcius.