Open Access

Joachim Strittmatter

• Shape memory alloys are functional materials with unique properties and are especially used in medical and aerospace applications for quite some time. The use of this group of materials in automotive systems was also researched but real series applications are still lacking, with a few exceptions. Although a large number of theoretical applications were demonstrated, there is still little acceptance among car manufacturers to use shape memory actuators in safety-relevant systems in the automotive sector, for example. As shape memory alloys are in the meantime available in excellent qualities and in larger quantities, new possibilities are opening up against the background of autonomous driving and the desired weight reduction of vehicles. The first series applications are therefore already available on the market for automotive comfort applications. The target of this paper is to give a short introduction to the shape memory technology and a brief review of existing comfort and safety systems designed for modern and future cars.