4 ms·
Upvoting because thoughtful uses of shape-memory alloys don't get enough love.
by ISL 5y ago
Upvoting because thoughtful uses of shape-memory alloys don't get enough love.
- giantg2 5y agoNitinol is cool
- el_benhameen 5y agoMy son just had a nitinol plug placed in a small heart defect via a catheter. The mesh deforms to fit in the catheter at ambient temperatures, and then reforms to the plug shape at body temperature. And they’re hand-woven by Peruvian women because of the complexity of the design. Absolutely mind-blowing stuff!
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y agoWow. That's beautiful. Thanks for letting us know about a real-world use for nitinol.
- Abishek_Muthian 5y agoI wish your son all the best. I thought efficient air-conditioning using Nitinol[1] was exciting, With boring static titanium implants fusing my C1-C3 I find your son's nitinol plug in the heart weaved by the Peruvian women mind blowing. Where can I learn more about that tech? [1] https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/07/21/a-new-green-air-conditioning-system-manages-without-nasty-gases https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/07/21/...
- el_benhameen 5y agoThank you! He's doing great. Instead of a monthslong recovery from open heart surgery, he walked out of the hospital the next day and was back at school the following week. It was a relatively small defect, so the operation was really just to lower his lifetime risk of endocarditis. I seem to have misremembered the country--it's Bolivia, not Peru. My apologies to the very talented weavers. Interesting article about it here: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-32076070 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-32076070
- Abishek_Muthian 5y agoThank you!
- Confiks 5y agoThe nitinol in TFA actually becomes pretty hot; around 100 degrees Celsius.
- soco 5y agoWhen I think of the T-1000 Terminator, I don't feel much love either.