Believe it or not, the 3D printer was developed over 30 years ago. When you consider just how recently the concept garnered public interest – and its fair share of controversy – it can be difficult to accept that scientists and engineers are already moving on to something new.
Enter 4D printing, a process that simulates an added dimension in the development of its designs: time.
Earlier this year, members of Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) unveiled a 4D-printed structure inspired by the morphological intricacies of a flower.
“This work represents an elegant advance in programmable materials assembly, made possible by a multidisciplinary approach,” explains the senior author of the study, Jennifer Lewis. “We have now gone beyond integrating form and function to create transformable architectures.”
The transformation is certainly a spectacle to behold, but I hear you asking “what practical uses does it offer?”
When the engineers use the term ‘time’, what is meant is reactionary change. As the flower reacts to water, so can future materials respond to contextual factors according to their design.
Already, concepts are in the works for a myriad of items that employ the hydrogel composites used in the experiment. Everything from baby’s clothing – which can alter its shape based on environmental conditions – to military Exosuits are in development stages.
Uses are not limited to the outside of the body either. Biocompatible components are being researched to allow for medical innovations as well, such as vascular therapeutics.
You can read Harvard’s full report on the experiment here.