The object
Skylar Tibbits co-invented 4D multi-material shape-change printing, a manufacturing process for physical objects programmed to transform after fabrication. MIT's technology office lists the licensed invention and its co-inventors, while MIT News' dated 2024 profile describes his work inventing self-organizing and programmable materials for manufacturing and construction.
What Skylar did
Co-invented MIT's licensed 4D multi-material shape-change printing technology for programmable manufactured objects.
Why it matters
MIT lists the technology for licensing and situates it in programmable-material manufacturing, construction and advanced-material applications.
Living-status check
MIT News published a person-specific profile of Tibbits on 3 November 2024 that describes his current MIT research and programmable-material inventions.