A locking arrangement for a patient lift configured to selectively lock the vertical movement of a patient support mounting device connected to a lifting device of the patient lift via a load bearing member. The locking arrangement including a shape memory alloy element and a locking device. The shape memory alloy element is connected to the locking device and arranged to selectively actuate the locking device to control a locking force on an engagement member mechanically connected to a motor and the load bearing member of the patient lift. The present invention further relates to a patient lift including the locking arrangement.

A unimorph composite actuator (UCA) has a deformable substrate that has a lateral curvature relative to an axis or curve of the substrate and at least one shape memory material (SMM) attached to at least a portion of a face of the substrate. The curvature of the substrate assists the restoration of the original structure after being fixed in a deformed conformation. The SMM can be a shape memory polymer (SMP).

An emergency braking assembly for a motor-driven tool has a holding structure, a braking element movably mounted on the holding structure, and a wire-like actuation element, which has a shape-memory alloy. A first end of the actuation element is attached to the holding structure. A second end of the actuation element is drivingly coupled to the braking element. A method operates the emergency braking assembly. The braking element is set in motion by the actuation element and then a motion coupling between actuation element and braking element is cancelled or terminated.