Researchers from MIT, Stratasys, and Autodesk, led by Dr. Dan Raviv from MIT, published a paper called "Active Printed Materials for Complex Self-Evolving Deformations" in Scientific Reports today, December 18th. The paper focuses on potential applications for 4D printing, in which "self-evolving structures" respond to outside stimuli through changing their shape. The implications of their research can potentially be huge, ranging from use in household appliances (where the objects can respond to temperature) to medical implants, where they would respond to the changing environment of the human body. Check out more details on their research in the full article: http://3dprint.com/32127/4d-printing-adaptive-mfg/


Below is an image, courtesy Dan Raviv, of the changing structure possible via 4D printing: