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This paper proposes a design-oriented thermomechanical model of SMA wires. This model describes at a macroscopic scale the deformation of SMA wires in function of parameters governing the phase transformation (temperature and stress). This model is experimentaly validated on one of the most popular manufactured products: Flexinol wires. An optimal design process for SMA-wire based micro-actuators is described and illustrated through a basic structure.

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This paper describes an original active steering device for endoscopes and horoscopes. Its mechanical structure is based on a tubular hyper-redundant mechanism. Distributed SMA actuators with their own local controller are integrated in this structure for producing bending forces in reaction to the interaction detected between the instrument and its environment. The SMA actuators are two thin NiTi springs in an antagonist configuration. Joint actuation relies on martensite/austenite phase transformation in NiTi alloys. The global behavior of the endoscope is controlled through a multi-agent approach.