We've discussed 4D printing a few times, most recently to make self-assembling shapes made of programmable carbon composites and wood. Now some market analysts are saying that one of the first industries to use 4D printing in a concrete way will be medical devices, especially implants.

First described just over a year ago by MIT's Skylar Tibbits and developing in his Self-Assembly Lab, the technology is moving so rapidly that industry analysts think medical device prototypes will be made with 4D printing as early as the end of 2015. For example, these devices could be implants that adapt and change their structure depending on what biochemistries or cells they encounter in the body, or even to tailor themselves to different human bodies. Devices could also be self-repairing, self-correcting, and self-disassembling for recycling at their end of life.

Read the full story: 4D-Printed Medical Devices Move Closer to the Supply Chain on our sister site, EBN.com.

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