Active material apparatus with activating thermoelectric device thereon and method of fabrication

An active material assembly comprising:

• a thermally-activated active material apparatus including multiple thermally-activated active material components each characterized by an elongated shape;
• multiple thermoelectric devices, each in thermal contact with a different one of the thermally-activated active material components, each characterized by a thermal differential when current flows therethrough, the thermal differential being sufficient to cause heat transfer in the respective thermally-activated active material components;
• a flexible electronic-insulating casing surrounding the thermally-activated active material components, wherein the thermally-activated active material components are spaced from one another in the flexible electronic-insulating casing;
• wherein each thermoelectric device is electrically excitable separately from the other thermoelectric device to cause current flow in the respective thermoelectric device;
• and
• wherein the thermally-activated active material components are each characterized by a reversible phase transformation activated by heat transfer to cause a physical property change therein, those thermally-activated active material components on which the respective thermoelectric devices are excited thereby undergoing a respective change in physical property.

A method of fabricating an articulated active material assembly comprising:

• placing a first thermoelectric device in thermal contact with a generally elongated thermally-activated active material apparatus;
• placing a second thermoelectric device in thermal contact with the generally elongated, thermally-activated active material apparatus;
• encasing the first and second thermoelectric devices and active material apparatus in a flexible electronic-insulating material with the thermoelectric devices spaced from and electrically isolated from one another to form the articulated active material assembly;
• and
• wherein the first and second thermoelectric devices form separately excitable electric circuits and are each characterized by a thermal differential when current flows therethrough to cause a phase transformation in the active material apparatus, and a resulting physical property change in the active material apparatus being achieved by controlling current flow in the different thermoelectric devices.