Nitinol Implant Technology

[Event_Horizon]

I searched for the keyword "nitinol" to see if there had been posts about it on the Forum, and thus far I haven't come across any.

I'm not an engineer, but I saw an article that seemed interesting. The paper can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27639798/

I've dealt with this nickel-titanium alloy before as I believe it's used in thermostats. From my reading, the concept is that an inductive heat wand could be waved over the implant which would raise the temperature just slightly, causing the metal to unbend from a flaccid state and assume an erect posture.

Assuming that the tubing was soft enough, I imagine this could feel very much like a natural erection. Obviously, I do not think a partner would enjoy having a metal rod on their lover, but again with sufficient padding this might be effective.

Really, I bring this up in reference to the younger guys on the Forum. The concern is often that an implant at a young age would require multiple revision surgeries. The revisions result from mechanical failures on a timescale of 10-15 years; however, this technology appears to have no mechanical parts (any NASA engineer will tell you that the more things that move, the more problems you're likely to have, especially during "launch"  . Thus, there is a lower risk of failure and a longer lifetime. If the thermal induction wand breaks, then fine, just go get a new one. No surgery involved. If you run out of power, change the batteries, or charge it like your phone. The implant itself is simply metal.

The question of hysteresis could be interesting. For instance, I don't know if the metal will lose rigidity from expansion and compression over time. Presumably, one could figure out ways to reinforce the metal to lessen this effect. Also, one would imagine this would be easy to test in a laboratory environment.

The article was published in 2017 with a projected timeline to market of 5-10 years. I wonder if this might be relevant for some on this Forum.

Note, I know this is related to "implants," but I didn't want to clutter that section of the Forum with speculation since many might be using that board to share surgical outcomes or ask immediately relevant questions. I think this is more of a "could be hopeful" thing. I hope this post is not considered clutter since I don't want to degrade the quality of this platform as a source for good information.  

[GaussRifle]

We are aware of this shape memory alloy prosthesis in the works. The funding for something similar is being backed by Boston scientific.  In theory it should outlast mechanical ipps. I believe in 2019 they implanted and tested these on dead bodies with success. More research is needed however, first of all to determine the lifespan and cycles it can go through. I'm sure shape memory alloy also have a fatigue point for repeated expansion and contraction.  Secondly, the effect of temperature increase long term on human tissue albeit little increase. Moreover, making sure it doesn't get activated through other magnetic sources like MRI machines, airport body scanning etc..

If a person were to need an implant now, I would suggest them to not wait and go for IPP, sure the lifespan would be 10 years or so but by the time you need a revision,  there would be plenty of data on the this new shape memory alloy prosthesis including long term effects and experience from real life users. Then as your revision when you are upgrading, you can get this new implant.

[Event_Horizon]

Hi gaussrifle,

That makes sense to me, so thank you for your insight. I agree that no one in true need of a solution should delay proper treatment by an IPP with the hope of as yet untested technology. Honestly, I was just happy that there is research being done in the field, and people do seem interested in being innovative. I think that fact alone should provide some hope for people afflicted with this condition.

The more the scientists and engineers fail, the more they're trying, and the more likely they are to succeed eventually.

Very good points about the temperature effects on human tissue, MRI and airport scanners, etc. I never thought about this, so I'm glad others are running the simulations out further in their heads. I still think it will be an interesting space to watch in the next few years. I'd love to see new and innovative treatments over the next few years, even if hopefully I don't need it at any point in my life.

Sorry for not scouring the Forum further. Maybe I should have tried searching "memory metal" or other keyword combinations.

What I hope most is that everyone can get the treatment they need and that scientists and engineers keep putting in the effort to better our lives. Being part of this community has introduced me to many good-hearted men and women who are fighting an intense battle, and they deserve every amount of support that the world can give them.  

[GaussRifle]

 Are you into astronomy event horizon ?

[Event_Horizon]

Haha yes big fan! Technically I'm working on doing astrophysics for a living, but I like to remind myself of the fun parts and not the code crashes/ launch delays whenever I can.