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MIT Researcher Demos Self-Assembling Objects

Posted by Unknown on from the grey-goo-scenario dept.

iONiUM writes "From the article: 'Many are only just getting their heads around the idea of 3D printing but scientists at MIT are already working on an upgrade: 4D printing. At the TED conference in Los Angeles, architect and computer scientist Skylar Tibbits showed how the process allows objects to self-assemble.' There could be many applications for this. Definitely a cool step forward." Pictures and video of the process.

19 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Hasn't anyone watched SG-1 or Atlantis? by TheRealQuestor · · Score: 5, Funny

    This cannot end well

    1. Re:Hasn't anyone watched SG-1 or Atlantis? by Ambassador+Kosh · · Score: 2

      What if we side with the replicators instead of those squishy human things?

      I fully support the construction of replicators and all of the cool things that can be done with that. It would be pretty sweet if we could make self assembling cities. We could build entirely new cities that are VASTLY more efficient than the kinds of cities we use now. I would love to see the human race move to using arcologies.

      --
      Computer modeling for biotech drug manufacturing is HARD! :)
    2. Re:Hasn't anyone watched SG-1 or Atlantis? by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      We could build entirely new cities that are VASTLY more efficient than the kinds of cities we use now.

      Yep. Just get rid of all those stupid meatbags, and everything will be clean and tidy in no time.

      Death to all humans!

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Hasn't anyone watched SG-1 or Atlantis? by Hentes · · Score: 2

      This is self-assembly, not self-replication. Think nitinol.

    4. Re:Hasn't anyone watched SG-1 or Atlantis? by EdZ · · Score: 2

      What if we side with the replicators instead of those squishy human things?

      Uh, dude, human beings are already uncontrolled replicators. Green Goo flooded the planet a few billion years ago, followed not long after by Pink Goo. If we ever manage to (or even bother too, it's not a particularly efficient manufacturing method) create Grey Goo, it would have to beat off a lot of competition from existing replicators before it could start spreading.

  2. so its a sponge on a string? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    good luck with the investors, I have some self assembling robot animals to sell you

  3. Grey goo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our self-assembling overlords.

  4. Industrial Origami is way ahead by Animats · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Industrial Origami, Inc. is way ahead here. They have a set of techniques for designing punched sheet metal parts which then bend to fold up neatly into boxes or other desired forms. The folded surfaces bend precisely, even when bent by hand. The edges meet and lock together. I've folded up one of their electrical boxes, which comes as a flat sheet ready for hand folding.

    It's all done with clever design and finite element analysis to get the bend points to behave in a repeatable way. What they sell is design software for doing this.

    1. Re:Industrial Origami is way ahead by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 4, Informative

      I've been watching videos of this tech for the past 20 minutes. Most are just CGI concepts of a certain folding product. Those that have been actually filmed, are heavily edited, with cuts after each fold, some are also accelerated 4x.

      Something tells me this tech doesn't work as well as they say it does.

      Nothing is as fishy as not showing at least one honest video with no editing of the actual product.

      --
      WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
  5. 4D printing? by a_hanso · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Unless you're printing into the past and future, how is this 4D?

    1. Re:4D printing? by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2

      Please wake me up when we reach 5D

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    2. Re:4D printing? by frglrock · · Score: 2

      Well apparently that's sort-of the idea. From TFA:

      "We're proposing that the fourth dimension is time and that over time static objects will transform and adapt," he told the BBC.

    3. Re:4D printing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      this message is from the future - and we did

  6. We don't have a problem building things by kawabago · · Score: 2

    What we need are things that clean up after themselves. This machine will bury us in leggo!

  7. Basic test to qualify as a 4D printer... by Y.A.A.P. · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Assemble a tesseract.

    If it can't do that, it's not a 4D printer, it's just hype about a different 3D printing method.

    1. Re:Basic test to qualify as a 4D printer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Oh that's easy.

      You have to pulverize obsidian and smelt it with lead to get hardened glass, then assemble tin, hardened glass, and diamonds to get the tesseract frame. Then you have to melt down some ender pearls and fill the frame with the molten ender to get an unattuned tesseract. Then you pile in a servo, some silver ingots, and some lead, copper, tin, or electrum ingots to round out the exact tesseract you need.

      Wait... you were talking about Minecraft mods, weren't you? No? Damn...

      (And in case you're still struggling with figuring out WTF I'm talking about: clicky thing.)

  8. Re:First Demo. by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    I guess it was rather the self-assembling objects that demoed god, but let's not descend into petty hen and egg discussions.

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    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Re:The Art of being an Editor by lxs · · Score: 2

    Definitely an insightful comment.

  10. Clever but limited by Grayhand · · Score: 2

    Curious how they are setting memory into plastics as they are formed? They are obviously using hot water baths to allow the materials to reorganize. I can see some uses like folded parts but really it's not self assembly. This is self bending.