Think 3-D printing is cool? Try 4-D

Skylar Tibbits spoke at TED 2013 about 4-D printingTibbits: "The idea behind 4-D printing is to have change over time"4-D printing could create robotics without wires or motors
(CNN) -- Video producer's note: You've heard of 3-D printing, the process of using a specialized printer to create real-world objects from computer models. Now there's something new on the horizon that could revolutionize this burgeoning technology: 4-D printing.
At TED 2013, senior fellow Skylar Tibbits sat down with CNN Ideas to further explain this mysterious fourth dimension in printing technology. He also provided us with visual examples from his Self-Assembly Lab, MIT. See how it all works in the video above.What uses do you see for 4-D printing, if any?(Note: This is project is a collaboration between Stratasys Inc. and the Self-Assembly Lab, MIT.)/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/10/tech/innovation/orig-ideas-4-d-printing/index.html","title" : "Think 3-D printing is cool? Try 4-D"});April 12, 2013 -- Updated 1525 GMT (2325 HKT) Video producer's note: Lasers are now being used to help people with disabilities communicate. CNN got a firsthand look at how this assistive technology works when Sandy Hanebrink, executive director of Touch the Future, gave us a demonstration of the Lucy 4 keyboard at the Abilities Expo in Atlanta. April 12, 2013 -- Updated 1436 GMT (2236 HKT) You've heard of 3-D printing, the process of using a specialized printer to create real-world objects from computer models. Now there's something new on the horizon that could revolutionize this burgeoning technology: 4-D printing. April 5, 2013 -- Updated 1353 GMT (2153 HKT) To understand Jay Silver, it helps to go back 10 years, to a night he spent flying kites on a beach in his native Florida with the woman who would become his wife. April 4, 2013 -- Updated 0156 GMT (0956 HKT) Ed Boyden tilts his head downward, remaining still except for his eyes, which dart back and forth between blinks for a full 10 seconds. Then, as if coming up for air from the sea of knowledge, he takes a breath, lifts his head back up and begins to speak again. March 26, 2013 -- Updated 1400 GMT (2200 HKT) What if everything you thought you knew about education was wrong? March 22, 2013 -- Updated 2159 GMT (0559 HKT) As a lifelong resident of South Central Los Angeles, I refuse to be part of the social system that breeds problems rather than solutions. South Central is a "food desert" where the lack of healthy food alternatives leads to obesity and preventable disease. March 22, 2013 -- Updated 2213 GMT (0613 HKT) The idea of "wearable robots" may seem like something out of a movie, but this technology is already being used in real life. March 22, 2013 -- Updated 2209 GMT (0609 HKT) The young man tucks his violin under his chin and begins to play. A hush falls over the few spectators in the largely empty opera house, who turn toward the bare stage. As his lilting notes float through the room, other people trickle in from the lobby to listen. October 10, 2012 -- Updated 1237 GMT (2037 HKT) If the crooked blue staircase, colorful crank and dangling bathtub looked familiar, well, that's the point.October 3, 2012 -- Updated 1355 GMT (2155 HKT) Sometimes, it pays to eavesdrop on the next table over at lunch. That's how Brian Preston learned about the homeless people living in the woods around his suburban Georgia community. October 25, 2012 -- Updated 1543 GMT (2343 HKT) A couple years ago, Jerry DiMaria signed up for an online forum and started a new thread: "A few months ago," he wrote, "our 12 year old DAUGHTER came in and said, 'Dad, Mom, can we talk for a minute?'" Most popular Tech stories right now
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