# The emergence of "4D printing"

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED2013
- Speaker: Skylar Tibbits
- Year: 2013
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Art, architecture and design
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/skylar_tibbits_the_emergence_of_4d_printing)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

3D printing has grown in sophistication since the late 1970s; TED Fellow Skylar Tibbits is shaping the next development, which he calls 4D printing, where the fourth dimension is time. This emerging technology will allow us to print objects that then reshape themselves or self-assemble over time. Think: a printed cube that folds before your eyes, or a printed pipe able to sense the need to expand or contract.

## Lectures

1. [The emergence of "4D printing"](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/skylar_tibbits_the_emergence_of_4d_printing/471445dcfe01), 9 min (TED's player)