Skylar Tibbits is a TED Fellow who recently did a TED talk on the topic of 4D printing, expanding on 3D printing with the added dimension of time, so the 3D printed object changes over time. Tibbits' TED talk was followed by an interview on CNN Ideas and a NY Times interview. At Paramount Industries and 3D Systems, we are always ahead of the curve and always checking out new ideas and new innovations in our industry. Skylar Tibbits has some interesting ideas and his TED talk and CNN Ideas are worth checking out.Paramount's Jim Williams comments:Amazing to think 4-D. I've wondered when (and who) would be pushing outside 3D. Also I am an ardent believer in multi-function 'functionalized' materials. This is only the beginning. The real 4th and 5th dimension is in the discovery of how to manufacture going from 2D layers to real-time 5D. It's been accomplished by CNC 5-Axis.The TED Talk description: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."The CNN Interview:
