Nitinol is a nickel-titanium alloy with super elasticity and shape memory properties. Shape memory refers to the ability of Nitinol to undergo deformation at one temperature, then recover its original, under formed shape upon heating above its transformation temperature. Super elasticity occurs at a narrow temperature range just above its transformation temperature; in this case, no heating is necessary to cause the under formed shape to recover, and the material exhibits enormous elasticity, some 10-30 times that of ordinary metal.