Many applications, for example in toolmaking and mechanical engineering, require actuators to convert electrical signals into mechanical motion. If the application requires large forces while using minimal installation space, actuators made of thermal shape-memory alloys are the best choice. Their sole drawback lies in their slow cooling process and the resulting low dynamics. Three Fraunhofer institutes joined forces to develop a new class of high load shape-memory actuators that are the first to quickly switch large forces with minimal size and high dynamics.