Piezoelectric multilayer actuators have long established their supremacy in precise positioning applications. Apart from very accurate position control, piezoelectric actuators provide fast actuation with low energy requirements; these valuable characteristics can be exploited in many other areas of industrial applications. Unfortunately, output displacements from piezoelectric multilayers are tiny and, in the absence of appropriate amplifiers, call for tight manufacturing tolerances. In this paper, a novel concept of unlatching piezoelectric actuator is introduced. The problem involves different areas of expertise as the dynamic of the piezoelectric multilayer and the mechanics of the unlatching mechanism need to be understood. Results from an electro-mechanical computational model developed ad hoc are reported, together with FEA results of the unlatching mechanism. The first experimental results on a prototype actuator are presented and compared with the model expectations.