U.S. Army grants $855K for developing 4D printing of adaptive materials
Earlier this year, Skylar Tibbits, an architect, designer and computer scientist announced a new concept: 4D printing where materials can be reprogrammed to self-assemble into new structures, directly off the print-bed.
Using the unique Objet Connex multi-material 3D printing technology from Stratasys Tibbits is able to program different materials properties into each of the various particles of the designed geometry. When using some materials with different water-absorbing properties he could just program them to activate the self-assembly proces...And from MIT's Self Assembly Lab:
Image in the future an automobile coating that changes its structure to adapt to a humid environment or a salt-covered road, better protecting the car from corrosion. Or consider a soldier's uniform that could alter its camouflage or more effectively protect against poison gas or shrapnel upon contact.Here's MIT's Self Assembly Lab homepage.
Now the U.S. Army Research Office is hoping to make this a reality by providing an $855,000 (€632,000) grant to develop 4D materials, which can exhibit behavior that changes over time. The research grant has been awarded to a trio of university researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the University of Illinois....MORE
And the SJET page.
