Researchers have created a series of 4D-printed plastic objects that fold themselves into predetermined shapes when heated, which they believe could be scaled up to create flat-pack furniture.
The self-folding objects, made by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Morphing Matter Lab, are 3D-printed from plastic that changes shape when heated.
The researchers believe that the process could be the first step towards producing products, such as flat-pack furniture, which could assume its final shape with the help of a heat gun.

Created using an inexpensive 3D printer, the plastic items that include a rose, a boat and a bunny, are assembled by taking advantage of the warpage that can occur after printing. While warpage is typically considered a defect, the Morphing Matter Lab has turned it into an advantage. The process has been named Thermorph. It uses an FDM printer, which works by laying down a continuous filament of melted thermoplastic.

These materials contain residual stress and, as the material cools and the stress is relieved, the thermoplastic tends to contract, which can sometimes result in warped edges and surfaces.
By varying the speed at which the filament is deposited and combining warp-prone materials with rubber-like materials that resist contracture, the team were able to precisely control the process.

"Though we used a 3D printer with standard hardware, we replaced the machine's open source software with our own code that automatically calculate...