WHITE PAPER: 4D Printing: The Next Generation Technique for Tissue and Organ Regeneration

4D printing is an emerging and highly innovative additive manufacturing process, by which pre-designed, self-assembly structures are fabricated with the ability to transform over time. The concept of 4D printing was first introduced by Skylar Tibbits, an architectural designer and computer scientist from MIT, via a widely broadcasted TED talk in February 2013. 4D printing refers to the process of generating 3D-printed objects that have the capability to self-transform in conformation or functionality when exposed to a predetermined, applied stimulus. Various stimuli that can be used to confer transformations within printed constructs can include physio-mechanical stimuli, such as modulating osmotic pressure, as well as subjecting the construct to various energy sources such as heat, electrical current, and ultraviolet light. In contrast to the paradigm of 3D-printed objects, which are static in both space and time, novel 4D-printed objects appear to be intrinsically dynamic and demonstrably tunable as a function of time and stimuli.

4D printing is an emerging and highly innovative additive manufacturing process, by which pre-designed, self-assembly structures are fabricated with the ability to transform over time. The concept of 4D printing was first introduced by Skylar Tibbits, an architectural designer and computer scientist from MIT, via a widely broadcasted TED talk in February 2013. 4D printing refers to the process of generating 3D-printed objects that have the capability to self-transform in conformation or functionality when exposed to a predetermined, applied stimulus. Various stimuli that can be used to confer transformations within printed constructs can include physio-mechanical stimuli, such as modulating osmotic pressure, as well as subjecting the construct to various energy sources such as heat, electrical current, and ultraviolet light. In contrast to the paradigm of 3D-printed objects, which are static in both space and time, novel 4D-printed objects appear to be intrinsically dynamic and demonstrably tunable as a function of time and stimuli.

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