Is 4D Printing Next For Healthcare?

Years away from widespread commercialization, but impact could be profound

The healthcare industry will be among the first to reap the benefits of emerging four-dimensional printing technology, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.  4D printing develops chameleonic materials whose properties shift according to external stimuli, such as temperature changes.

As MIT research scientist Skylar Tibbits described it in a TED talk, the 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."  In the coming years, this technology could have a disruptive effect on healthcare and other industries, according to the study, impacting everything from artificial organs to smart sensors to nano technology.

"4D printing, an extension of three-dimensional printing, is superior to conventional manufacturing techniques in terms of performance, efficiency and quality, and can create new products with increased capabilities," said Frost & Sullivan analyst Jithendranath Rabindranath, in a press statement.  "Unlike conventional manufacturing techniques, it facilitates self-assembly of materials required to manufacture parts and products, thereby speeding up the process and reducing the need for labor," he added.  As Smithsonian magazine put it earlier this year, "With a 3D printer, an operator plugs in a virtual blueprint for an object, which the printer uses to construct the final product layer by layer...