4D Printing: Shapeshifting Architectures




A team at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS has developed a new microscale printing method to create transformable objects. These “4D-printed” objects go a step beyond 3D printing to incorporate a fourth dimension–time.

The method was inspired by the way plants change shape over time in response to environmental stimuli. This orchid-shaped structure is printed with a hydrogel composite ink containing aligned cellulose fibrils, which enable anisotropic swelling. A proprietary mathematical model developed by the team precisely predicts how the fibrils will swell in water.

After printing, the 4D orchid is immersed in water to activate its shape transformation.
Source: Wyss Institute
Read more: wyss.harvard.edu
4D Printing
3D Printing
3D Bioprinting
3D Printers
4D Printing, Shapeshifting Architectures, Wyss Institute, Harvard SEAS, 4D Orchid, 3D Printing, Futuristic Technology

4D Printing, Shapeshifting Architectures, Wyss Institute, Harvard SEAS, 4D Orchid, 3D Printing, Futuristic Technology

More Posts:

Tactus Touchscreen Sprouts
Bionic Eye Project To Bring Back Eyesight To Visually Impaired (VIDEO)
Personal Watercraft For Fun And Rescue Operations (+Video)
Epidermal Electronic System Will Make Wearable Technologies A Reality
Could Artificial Intelligence Replace Lawyers by 2030?
Voxiebox Holographic Entertainment System
A ‘Wikipedia’ For Neurons
Lexus Hoverboard
CityLift’s Automated Parking Structure at the Hive
Stem Cell Pouch For Diabetes