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Posted on 02/12/2026 12:57:45 PM PST by BenLurkin
Researchers describe the material as a cephalopod-inspired “smart synthetic skin” made from hydrogel and fabricated using a technique the team calls halftone-encoded 4D printing.
Most synthetic materials—even advanced ones—are designed to do just one thing well. A coating might change color, a polymer might bend when heated, or a gel might respond to moisture.
The term “4D printing” refers to structures that change after printing. Unlike conventional 3D printing, where a shape is fixed once fabrication ends, 4D-printed materials are engineered to transform in response to external stimuli, such as heat, solvents, or mechanical stress.
...
The novel system is unusual in how it programs the material’s behavior. Instead of stacking various components or embedding electronics, researchers used a printing strategy borrowed from graphic design: half-toning.
In newspapers and photographs, halftone dots create the illusion of continuous tones using only black and white ink. Here, the researchers used a similar logic to encode “binary” regions into the hydrogel.
However, combining multiple dynamic behaviors in a single, soft material has remained a major challenge. Researchers argue their approach overcomes that constraint by digitally embedding instructions directly into the material itself.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedebrief.org ...
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Good thing scientists are so intelligent.
The first thing I thought of was Sleeping Beauty’s color changing dress...
It’s like a solution for a question that has not yet been asked. Could be a HUGE moneymaker!
Remember when the Segue came out in 2001?
I recall two years later in ‘03, when GWB was president.
He was thrown off of one while visiting his parents in Kennebunkport, Maine.
The President was uninjured in his fall.
New!
The guy who bought the Segway company died riding one.
Not a good PR move.
That, I didn’t know.
To this day, they only have limited uses.
I recall posters for the movie
“Paul Blart - Mall Cop” where actor Kevin James used one as he patrolled a New Jersey Shopping Mall.
I suspect it was unintentional...
The owner fell off a cliff.
Probably not a good idea to ride them near cliffs...
LOl! Not funny ... but.
Of course it’s funny...
Darwin cleansing the gene pool.
Wow, is this stuff osmotic?
Clark Griswold really spring-boarded off from his semi-permeable, non-nutritive cereal varnish.
Had gotten rich after inventing and marketing these
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesco_bastion
I learn something new on FR every day.
That’s pretty cool.
Kind of gets me to thinking about the cuttlefish. Now those are some smart molluscs.
We need to program it so we’re invisible.
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