At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tibbits and researchers from the firms Stratasys and Autodesk Inc were trying to come up with a way of describing objects they were creating on 3D printers… objects that not only could be printed, but thanks to geometric code, could also later change shape and transform on their own. […]

Material properties are now allowing for an added dimension in 3D printing – time. Thanks to “programmed action of the shape memory fibers,” a 3D-printed object can change shape after being printed. This is called 4D printing. Below, a 3D-printed noodle-like strand distinctly changes shape over time, after having been printed already. First proposed by […]

Skylar Tibbits is shaping the next development, which he calls 4D printing, where the fourth dimension is time. This emerging technology will allow us to print objects that then reshape themselves or self-assemble over time. Think: a printed cube that folds before your eyes, or a printed pipe able to sense the need to expand […]