Signal Radar: Will 4D printed objects soon transform our medical treatments?

Whilst 3D printing has captivated the minds of journalists, innovators and entrepreneurs for years, the potential of 4D printing is gaining momentum in scientific and commercial spheres.

– This signal forms part of Hunch | Strategic Innovation Pathfinder, our proprietary cross-sector database examining changes in customer behaviour and expectations that have the potential to grow in scale and impact. –

4D printing is the process of producing a 3D multi-material printed part that reacts to external stimuli, such as heat, moisture or sound - the ‘4th dimension’. Skylar Tibbits, founder of MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, coined the phrase in his TED Talk on the subject in 2013. The technology has advanced significantly since then and its commercial potential is attracting significant new pools of investment.

Airbus is using 4D printing to improve the cooling functions of the components in its aeroplanes. Briggs Automotive Company is developing a morphable wing for its supercar that can adjusts to different weather conditions. Other notable projects include self-healing roads that can detect and fix potholes, and sports clothes that allows skin to breathe in warm weather but forms a waterproof layer in the rain.

The healthcare sector in particular stands to benefit from recent advances. Many researchers are convinced it won’t be long until shape-changing materials find their way into medical treatments, and our bodies! This could include shape-shifting cardiac stents or drug capsules that activate on temperature change.

Engineers at Rutger university have created programmable 4D printed microneedles. Influenced by the microhooks of parasites, stingers of honeybees, and quills of porcupines, they are designed to be minimally invasive and pain-free. Potential uses include delivering drugs, healing wounds, biosensing, and other soft tissue applications.  Even more ‘out there’ perhaps, French biotech firm Poietis is using 4D printing involving cells to produce human tissue.

How long will it be before the printing budget of the NHS takes on a whole new meaning?

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