Fig. 6. Bending stiffness of the joints in the actuated and latched states and their cyclic performance.

(A) Measured bending stiffness of a joint at 25° and 90°C, corresponding to the temperatures in the actuated and latched states. The bending stiffness of the joint at room temperature is approximately seven times higher than at 90°C. (B) Time evolution over 2000 cycles of the twisting angle of a joint cycling through the actuated, latched, and recovered states. The three angular positions remain nearly constant over the 33 hours of the test.