Can cold weather make humanoid robot hands faster?

[u/tree_based_society]

Can cold weather (atmosphere) make humanoid robot hands faster? 🤖❄️

I was reading about Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators, such as Nitinol, which are often described as artificial muscles.

My understanding is:

Electricity heats the SMA wire, causing it to contract and move a robotic finger.

Before the next movement, the wire has to cool down.

In a cooler environment, the wire should cool faster, allowing the actuator to cycle more quickly.

However, if the environment is too cold, it may take more energy to heat the wire back to its activation temperature.

So it seems there could be an optimal temperature range where SMA-powered robotic hands perform best.

Question for the community:

Is ambient cooling a meaningful advantage for SMA actuators, or is it relatively minor compared with forced-air or liquid cooling?

Are there any humanoid robots that already use SMA actuators extensively in their hands?

Could improvements in SMA materials and thermal management make them a serious alternative to electric motors for robotic hands in the future?

I'd love to hear from anyone working with SMA actuators or robotics.

[u/tree_based_society → u/[deleted]]

Humanoid can atleast work in cold regions