【Biography Archives】

These tiny objects made with 3D printers can Biography Archivesdramatically expand when exposed to heat.

Scientists have created a pair of compact, unfurling structures that could pave the way for innovations in biomedical devices or space exploration, where payloads can cost tens of thousands of dollars per pound.

SEE ALSO: Start printing your breakfast with this pancake bot

A team at the Georgia Institute of Technology crafted these objects using "tensegrity" -- a structural system of floating rods in compression and cables in continuous tension. Researchers crafted the rods and cables, called "struts," from shape memory polymers that unfold when heated.

"Tensegrity structures are extremely lightweight while also being very strong," Glaucio Paulino, an engineering professor at Georgia Tech and co-author of a new study, said in a press release.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"That's the reason there's a heavy amount of interest right now in researching the use of tensegrity structures for outer space exploration," Paulino added. "The goal is to find a way to deploy a large object that initially takes up little space."

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

This method is what some people in the scientific community would call "4D printing," in which a 3D-printed structure changes shape after a print, Tech Crunch noted. The fourth dimension is time, in this case.

The Georgia Tech team published their findings last week in the journal Scientific Reports.

Researchers made the struts from 3D printers. To allow the struts to be temporarily folded flat, the team designed the struts to be hollow, with a narrow opening spanning the length of the tubes. Attachment points at the end of each strut connect the tubes to a network of elastic cables, which were also made with 3D printers.

Next, the struts were heated to 65 degrees Celsius, or 149 degrees Fahrenheit. This allowed researchers to partially flatten and fold the struts into a shape resembling the letter "W." Once they cooled, the structures retained their temporary shape.

"We believe that you could build something like an antenna that initially is compressed and takes up little space, but once it's heated, say just from the heat of the sun, would fully expand," Jerry Qi, a coauthor of the report and engineering professor at Georgia Tech, said in the press release.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The concept of tensegrity -- a mashup of "tensional integrity" -- has been used as the structural basis in several high-profile projects, including a large pedestrian bridge in Brisbane, Australia, and stadium roofs, including the Georgia Dome stadium in Atlanta and the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.

Beyond space exploration, these new 4D printed structures might also be used to create shape-changing soft robots, the researchers said.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Severe burns can heal faster with this 3-D skin printer

---

• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Tech
• Games
• Life
• Deals
• Social Good
• Digital Culture

• The Ovid of Loserdom
• Domestic trips recorded during China’s Qingming festival up over 10% from 2019 level · TechNode
• Apple will soon be ending support for Intel
• Excited customers flock to stores for Xiaomi’s first EV: report · TechNode
• Joe Ricketts, Media Destroyer
• China authority sets a new industry standard for cross
• Alibaba to test rocket package delivery service with China’s startup Space Epoch · TechNode
• How to leave a group chat on iPhone
• The Norwegians Who Mistook Their Bus Seats for Muslims
• Amazon Prime members can order Grubhub delivery right from the app. Here's how it works.

• Teens have officially gone off the deep end with the #BackpackChallenge
• Rory Gilmore is not a good journalist
• Jet Black Samsung Galaxy S7 may be coming to soothe your Note7 blues
• Australia has some messed up stories behind some of its place names
• Google's new update will help you avoid holiday shopping crowds
• Dumb dude tries to buy beer with a photocopied Rs 2,000 note in Mumbai, gets caught
• Adele posts heartwarming message to fans after finishing tour
• Donald Trump floats Nigel Farage for ambassador post
• Kanye West reportedly hospitalized following concert cancellations
• Gay woman buys dinner for the homophobic family sitting next to her

• Hyperspeed of the Immediate
• Redmi launches Harry Potter Edition of new Turbo 3 smartphone · TechNode
• Space tourism sounds fun. But it could be terrible for the planet.
• China’s chip production soars 40% in Q1 despite US constraints · TechNode
• The Usual Suspects
• Maserati, Alfa Romeo reportedly consider using EV platform from China’s Chery · TechNode
• Trump guilty verdict: Now what, asks the internet
• Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot program loses its head
• Jacked Up
• Bilibili overhauls main site operating unit as profitability timeline looms · TechNode

• The Reaching-Out Industry
• 'Doctor Who' does 'Black Mirror' in 'Dot and Bubble'
• Volkswagen, Xpeng expand electric vehicle partnership · TechNode
• Russell T Davies explains the 'Bridgerton'/'Doctor Who' conundrum
• Control-Alt-Fail
• Honda launches China
• iOS 18 AI features: 7 new rumored updates coming to your iPhone
• In case you missed it: Bank info
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 24: Tips to solve 'Connections' #713.
• Malala Yousafzai in 'We Are Lady Parts' is the cameo of the year