(Nanowerk News) Soft robots and biomedical implants that reconfigure themselves upon demand are closer to reality with a new way to print shapeshifting materials. Rafael Verduzco and graduate student ...

During the early stages of life, organs do not just appear in their final form. They take shape through a process of controlled bending, twisting, and folding. These changes help cells organize into ...

To take advantage of the promise of 4D materials for bioengineering applications, Alsberg and colleagues developed novel 4D materials based on gelatin-like hydrogels that change shape over time in ...

Shape-changing smart substrates are revolutionizing implantable bioelectronics by offering minimal invasiveness and self-adaptive geometric conformity. However, precise manipulation of shapeshifting, ...

Combining materials with different swelling ratios creates structures that transform into tubes when exposed to water. (Courtesy: Yu Bin Lee) Materials that controllably change shape over time – often ...

3D printing was once an innovation out of "Star Trek." Now, hobbyists can complete various impressive 3D printing projects in their own homes (as well as some that maybe don't represent the most ...

The concept of 4D printing isn't a new idea, but processes that use new types of environmental stimuli keep on appearing. 4D printing is usually defined as 3D printing with materials that change shape ...

With 4D printing, the objects can change shape or properties using external stimuli such as temperature, light, pH, magnetic field, electricity, and moisture. Additionally, the changes in shape or ...