Awesome! Can't wait for the "Just add water and grow your own new car!"

I hope IKEA can make their stuff self-assemble.

It seems people are confusing 4 dimensions with the proposed "4th dimension." You can program 2 dimensional arrays... 3 dimensional arrays... OR TEN dimensional arrays. You can even program 500 dimensional arrays. That must blow some of your minds.

My vga cable bends itself back its kinda same thing

I shared this to my oral expression students as a counter-example of a good presentation. This guy talks about a fascinating subject, but exhibits such stoicism and lack of passion with regards to his presentation that it feels like he lost the bet on "who will do the presenting"

The first thing that popped into my mind was a space ship loaded with millimeter thick sheets that when laid out on the Moon, Mars or in space could, when activated transform themselves into habitable structures.

This guy is like me when I was in high school turning in an essay. I had a great title with neat font, lots of colors, neat transparent folder to tuck my essay into but then I get a D+ for content and not citing sources.

They were not beakers at 3.56 but flasks. There you go, I have had my pedantic moment. Apart from that the presentation is fascinating.

20 years from now and this guy will sweep the world with claytronics

Its still 3D though

it would be cool if we had like shoelaces that tied themselves though lol

This makes me think of the animation - Big Hero 6. So amazing to see this cool technology might emerge someday.

The figures he choose are a bit abstract for demonstration I think

I seems to me that the biggest problem of such structures is that you need energy supply throughout the structure and in the case of self correcting structures you practically need abundance of it. Would explain why most "self-assembling" structures are on a nano scale.

I can see this being used to manufacture emergency rafts for ships. You could have a whole fleet of folded rafts that are compact to store and take their shape when in contact with water.

The time variable is present in 3D printing as well. Electrons don't just stand still.

3d printing is getting cooler and cooler... it's revolutionizing our reality!AWESOME 👍

The best lecture. The illustration from 0D (quantum dots) - 4D (multiphase materials).It has got an application in modeling of Nanostructure, proteins, Biochips, Microchips, and bioelectroics. Thanks!

I don't know what everyone has with additional space dimensions, we use tri-axial system to mesure objects so we have 3D world (sometimes it is needed to add fourth dimension the "time"). It is just an perception and it's not written in stone that we must use it. The reality is more like chaos of particles with vector and speed. But it is not a chaos, each action has corresponding reaction, and even every photon moove affects each surrounding particle and that creates the white noise of quantum mechanics, whitch is not random at all, we just can't see trough and when we try to we are projecting our perception into the quantum world that we see.

Thanks for your nice comment :D

4D printing is just a fancy name for 3D printing of shape memory alloys, which is a fancy name for multilayer 2D printing.

Man is a beast of marketing.

he raises a valid point. before the candle maker could learn to make light bulbs, here they would learn the new job of creating self replicating objects, a job they would lose after the first one was made.

We live in such an amazing time in history for science.

Yeah, a dimension refers to any parameter of a body that is associated with a particular state of a body. That means if I change any parameter that causes a change in the object, then that parameter is a dimension. In physics, if you go down to the very basics, you can change only 4 things, 3 positions and 1 time. But according to string theory the strings also have additional states that are not related to these 4 dimensions and thus they have some additional dimensions.

This seems like a great technological advancement. I'm excited to see when this can be put to use.

I didn't get this From where did that strand inside water get the energy to transform into a cube or MIT

Reminds me of Ancient Greece philosophers reading someone speak like that, and that last line reminds me of Ancient Roman stories, haha. That is an insane concept, and one that really leads to many questions. How many people would still contribute to bringing society forward? How many would just reproduce? How many would degrade the quality of society? What would be the balance? The religious right should be supporting it to have more time dedicating themselves to their religions.

I'm so impressed with your knowledge...

there are different types of dimensions. the 4th dimension is often referred to as time because it's "a" fourth that we commonly encounter. the 4th spacial dimension however is not time.

Using 4D to describe this does two things; allows for a different take on the concept and also using the debate to draw attention to the new concept. Nice presentation.

i tink its accurate as the product changes shape over time instead of being a static 3d object.

Stick with the example of plumbing. Notice anything familiar about the 'pipes' at 7:22? That's how the esophagus and intestines work. It is more complex to design in the beginning, but is more resilient and requires less maintenance over time.

Michael Crichton's "Prey". What a visionary, RIP

Seems too early to really have anything to present

To start with, a lot more. That would decrease over time as manufacturing, engineers, and programmers got used to the concepts demonstrated in the drawings. The thing is, most modern systems don't have drawings to explain how screws works. There is accepted short-hand, just show where they go and how many you need. Even then, a new screw or one that has a non-standard use, it gets a page all on its own or an exploded diagram showing the use.

Rubber bands, magnets, and strings that shrink when they get wet is not revolutionary, or even evolutionary. This is carnival side-show snake oil. Nature self assembles and replicates things at a molecular level. That is light-years in complexity beyond the chintzy novelty store toys this guy is making.

If you consider time a dimension, an object that changes shape over time is 4D. However, using this definition, many of the objects we normally consider 3D are in fact 4D.

Minutephysic's channel did a great video on dimensions. Basically, what they said was that a dimension is simply a parameter with which matter can be described. 1D, 2D, 3D and 4D simply describe the numbers of parameters matter has, but none of them specifically refer to any parameter. For example everything in our universe consists of 3 spacial dimensions and 1 time dimension (pretty much). Time isn't THE 4th dimension, but it is one of the four parameters of a 4D system. Hope that helps. :)

So, you mean to tell me that you are all about the maker movement, but you are developing 4d printing with Stratasys?!?! So, that means that once 4d printing is in a stage that 3d printing was about 10 years ago, Stratasys is going to patent and sue anyone who uses 4d printing without paying them royalties! Shame on you. You are such a hypocrite. These kind of laws need to change. Stratasys should not be able to patent something they do not even know how to make. At this point I could go and file a patent that says I own the right to a hologram that involves light. I don't know how to make it, but I have a patent. That's ridiculous and absurd. I really feel bad for Bre Petis (sort of), he had this company with so much potential and a maker following and then he sold out to Stratasys. makerbot then went on the become closed source and closed hardware, dare I mention the makerbot 5th gen or Z18? Some of the worst printers on the market with their SmartExtruder which is probably the dumbest thing I've ever seen.... I'll end it here by saying "Think about who you are working with and how they will affect the side you claim to be on..."

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW EVOLUTION WORKS!! BY DESIGN!!!

Regardless if he states 4 dimensions and not "the fourth dimension" time is not a dimension. It is a measurement of movement used to convey distance.

4-D printing can be more than creating a new way of production. The idea behind is that you can take multi-material 3D printing so you can deposit multiple materials and you add a new capability which is transformed right out of the bed. The parts can transform from one shape to another shape directly on their own.

Sounds like SKYNET

and Boom! that's how capsule corp came out

i think he is speaking of 4D as time, and he is "printing" not just for "one" time but he is designing stuff with shapes over an interval of time, in some sense printing in 4D

Doris Kim Sung's talk titled Metal that breathes was a much better example about a similar concept.

Something that is obviously an issue with 3D printing currently is time. Manufacturing and subtractive machining is far faster than 3D printing, and with mass production, the machining time sets the price. As seen in this video, the presentation showed up to a 150x increase in speed of the video in order for the structures to take shape. Overcoming this is the real challenge and very impractical at this point, since 3D printing itself is extremely slow. How about we get 3D printing up to speed and THEN worry about 4D?

Well done. Well done.

Literally throwing metals at a hurricane and a truck comes out lol

I thought he made it relatively clear that the objects are designed to be dynamic, self-assembling or changing over time in response to their surroundings. Note the image at 2:50, where the 4th dimension is represented by a 3-dimensional object exhibiting motion, a process that requires time. I think this makes it clear that he did not mean spacial-only dimensions. Unless, of course, you're referring to time as space, which it very well might be. ;)

The 4th dimension is time, and the things he talks about utilize that: change. The 4th dimension is not a physical one, like height or width, but a relational one involving a series of events described by a physical object. All the people that are saying this isn't 4D should explain what they think it is, what IS the 4th D??

yeah i realized how much easier 4d printing would be for shipping and manufacturing soon after I posted that.

It's a psychological defence mechanism to not be nervous while giving a presentation to a group op people.

We can't evolve into a type 1 civilization that wants to conquer space without all this constant need to better ourselves and make everything easier and more efficient. We're talking about light years in distance, so this means we have to speed up our evolution as well.

I've seen a number of articles about origami satellites over the last couple of years, very reminiscent

Reminds me of The Diamond Age v Hackworth's chevalier. It printed on a small public "3d printer" (that word had not yet been coined when the book was written), and unfolded into a mechanical horse.

I'm going to bookmark this talk as my go-to reference for the latest acronyms and buzz words. That was great!

I used to do the same thing with the paper casing of a straw. Scrunch it into an accordion shape, pull it off the straw and put a drop of water on it and BAM! I would of done a Ted Talk for a fraction of his pay!

Molecular graphing? I'm sure it's been applied already. But definitely always room for innovation!

I wonder how all of these great minds can organize themselves and form teams that work together to bring something new to the world.. like.. how is it even done?..

This seams more of a reflex than a self assembling anything. Phone cord is pulled parcially strait then recoils. Looks like the same thing.

Smile, You're on tv

Thank you! This is not very widely-known information, and it's refreshing to see it stated so clearly. There's a lot of confusion about this all over youtube. I think there are more comments on this video about the presenter's interpretation of "dimensions" than about the actual technology he's talking about. Simply put, he's talking about printing objects using all four dimensions, the three spacial dimensions AND the time dimension. Quite interesting, really.

Ted really does put some good stuff on this.

So... Legos with magnets? Modular element with one or more "low energy states"?

"Assembly instructions: 1. Place parts in industrial drier. 2. Set on slow spin for 5 minutes. 3. ???? 4. Place furniture in room."

MIND BLOWN.

This might have some application in cardiovascular stents! very awesome

It's not being bigger that makes 4D. It's that things printed already have the ability to transform right off the printer.

He is excited, hes just trying to communicate his ideas to people who have no idea. Pretty hard stuff.

it's still assembled like screws and nuts, but on a scale never before even thought of and in ways unimaginable before... self assembling, changing shapes for different functions on a nano scale.We don't realize the implications of this.When he started talking about the expanding and contracting pipes a light bulb went off in my head.They will soon be capable of creating synthetic life on a scale that biology can't. If they are giving this info to public, guarantee R&D by govt. has perfected it

He is appealing to the commonly-held, though incorrect, assumption that the fourth dimension is time. When he says 4D, he is talking about four dimensions, not the fourth dimension. 4D in this case means three spacial dimensions and one time dimension. I think it's pretty clear he's using 4D to reference three-dimensional objects that change shape over time. You know what he means. Please don't hate on him for no reason.

You're implying that he means spacial dimensions. He's talking about making printers that will construct a 3D model (three spacial dimensions) that will change in a pre-arranged way over time (a spacial dimension) to either form a more complex shape, or to constantly change in reaction to its surroundings. Three spacial dimensions + one time dimension = four overall dimensions.

Self assembly and self organizing is not the function of a printer, so it is silly to call it 4D printing. I can already print a clock with moving parts, but does the fact that the clock changes its state over time make it a 4D print? No. 3D printers just product static parts, and what those parts do after they have been printed is not a function of the printer itself. Nature is already doing self assembly and the field of nano technology has been studying this kind of thing for decades. Trying to put a new nonsensical label on an old concept does not make it an "emerging" technology.

I like the concepts like undulating pipes, but it's seems like adapting the world to a technology which my be MORE expensive than our current methods will be near impossible.

Brilliant but....pipelines - so would the pipe diameter increase with flow demand? Problems - clashes with other services like electricity or sewerage after expansion, weaker pipe due to expansion but increase in forces due to flow increase. Flow is dependant on the storm intensity and sometimes pit inlet surcharge is intentional for stormwater design, for example a q100 (1 in 100 year storm event), where hydrology becomes more important than hydraulics. Would the pipe attempt to correct itself outside of design parameters? From a geotechnical standpoint how would this effect topography? What happens to the extra volume of dirt once a pipe increases in diameter? How would an increase in pipe size upstream effect smaller downstream pipes given the variance of rainfall within different catchment areas? If constructed in upper parts of the catchments, the entire downstream would also need replacing (catchments are considered during design for both major and minor stormwater events), and pipe sizing is well thought out and crucial to avoid property damage, flooding and personal injuries. Water pipelines - always under pressure (hydraulic grade line is higher than top of pipe and does not rely on gravity). If pipe size increases, so does volume and capacity - however, incresing pipe diameter decreases in a lower pressure in the system that will not only effect both commercial and residential property water supply but also could reduce pressure to hydrants the is crucial in emergency situations for fire fighters. Food for thought anyways.

LOL 2013 ... wow this did not go anywhere

This is really, really awesome... Imagine the applications. :O

The reason they are calling it 4d printing is because after manufacturing it reacts to it's environment instead of being a solid non-responsive object. There is a time factor of sorts, and an infinite possibility of environmental exposures, across infinite splitting parallel dimensions. Ok, that last part was just joking around. I blame Sliders, haha.

When it is pressed it goes from one hinged position to another, just like his "4D" objects that change shape via hinges.

Buckle up people. Printing technology has the ability to change the world. The same way and in my own opinion even greater than the Industrial age changed America.

Actually, when it comes to human comprehension, time is the 4th dimension. Feel isn't a dimension at all. Within physics there is no "4th" dimension, there are just multiple dimensions, and depending on what you are doing, any of the existing dimensions could be the 4th, an x value if you will for a math equation. Most commonly, for publicly recognized articles, it is either time or a 4th spacial dimension, because the average person can't understand even that accurately. We are stupid, haha

1.) Deconstruct buildings 2.) Place tons of self-assembling materials 3.) Trigger Earthquake 4.) ??? 5.) PROFIT!

so materials that can repair themselves with a little kinetic or electric energy?

This is awesome.... great job

Skylar Tibbits of M.I.T presents a talk about 4D Printing and how it going to change our 'material world' in the future. Though bit far-fetched but we should not deny its practical use. worth watching. recommended.

I need a 4D Space-Time printer - my boss wants these parts yesterday!

I think their idea of "dimensions" is just a phrase to convey the idea of different systems/structures. e.g. linear/straight systems to branched/complex systems. In fact, 1D, 2D and don't exist at all. They don't exist in the third dimension because that would skew gravity (less dimension creates lighter attraction...don't cite this btw), throwing earth off course, into space or into the sun.

“While the small-minded cry “impossible’ The pathfinders of the world calmly pursue their goals proving that the impossible was instead inevitable” - Paramahansa Yogananda Though in it's early stages, big ideas may start from silly-looking rubber bands and strings. Keep on being radical Skylar. That is how progression is made.

definitely, but you can't deny that its a cool product, and technically their end product is 4d, but only if you count time as a separate dimension, although im fairly sure its actually just an extension of space, but we wont go into that here

Actually, it is very interesting (setting aside the fact that this is not 4D printing and that he is just making reassembling, not self-assembling materials). Imagine that we could resemble the protein function on a mayor scale. However I think that it is not just a matter of positive a negative charges, it must be more complex. For example, proteins (and some other molecules) have functions (more or less specific) which are determined by its structure and its composition (the amino acid content). Amino acids have different properties, some of which contributes to the assembly of the structure (which also depends on environmental interactions) and others to the function of the protein. However, even though there are non polar amino acids that make the protein to fold hydrophobicaly, some proteins need help from other proteins and modifications to fold as a completely functional molecule.

Umm. The Navy already has these installed on their ships. When the capsule hits the water it bursts open and inflates into a covered life raft able to hold 25 crew members.

I'd say that we can already "print" medicine. We can already synthesize compounds for medicines fairly easily so I don't think a "printer" would actually be of much worth.

D stands for Dimension

Just when my lecturer tells us that 3d printing is the next potential in the design industry..

It's still 3D printing. When you say 4D that already means something other than a 3D shape or environment. Like time for example.

I nearly died inside when he referred to a piece of paper as a 2d object. My middle finger has 17.6 dimensions of FUCK OFF attached to it. It does, because I said it does.

Amazing development. Keep up the good work.

In as much as 3D printing isn't printing at all, since printing relates solely to words, symbols, etc. in paper form, and the art and act thereof. "3D fabrication" didn't have that layman's ring to it, and it somewhat approximated the process of printing, so they slapped that word in there. "4D" in this sense seems to relate to the fact that 3-dimensional materials self-assemble from their original state over space-time, hence 4-dimensional.