Nov 29
This Is Why 4D Printing Is Cool
Posted in: Today's Chili The U.S. Army Research Office has just thrown some money the way of 4D printing
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Oct 09
A new grant from the U.S. Army Research Office will split $855,000 between three research teams working on so-called "4D printing." By military budget standards, that’s chump change—but it hints at a huge future for a technology that’s been lingering on the horizon for years.
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Mar 19
You may have seen reports this week that a team at MIT is developing so-called “4D printing” technology, which would go far beyond current 3D printing technology’s capacity to print three-dimensional objects with a machine. This team has stated that its fourth “D” involves objects self-assembling. I want to assure you, my unwavering investors, that 11D Technologies has long been aware of this development and continues to achieve superior technological progress that will allow our company to remain a leader in this field for the foreseeable future. More »
Feb 28
The bad news: just as much of the world is starting to get excited about the prospects of 3D printing, science is moving on to the world of 4D. The good news: in the future, you might not have to assemble that Ikea chair yourself. “4D printing” is the term cientists are using to refer to a technology that MIT’s Skylar Tibbits talked up during a recent TED appearance. The fourth “d” here is time, referring to an object that, once printed, is capable of changing shape (over time, naturally).
“Essentially the printing is nothing new,” Tibbits told the BBC. “It is about what happens after.” So far the concept has been demonstrated with thin strands of plastic, which, once added to water, form into a predetermined shape, using energy from the absorption. Suggested future applications involve furniture, pipes, bikes and buildings. First, however, scientists will have to demonstrate the technology on a larger structure, of course, and they’ll explore the possibility of other energy sources, like heat, sound and vibration.
Source: BBC
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