The BMW Design Department in collaboration with MIT's Self-Assembly Laboratory have successfully developed printed inflatable material technologies that self-transform, adapt and morph from one state to another.

While 3D bioprinting is widely used to construct complex biocompatible structures, researchers are now attempting to extend the technique into the fourth dimension. Here, 3D printed objects can be made to "self-transform" over time, which means that they can take on different forms or functions when exposed to physical stimuli such as osmotic pressure, heat, current UV light or other energy sources.

A bioengineer has developed a technique that uses a specially adapted 3D printer to build therapeutic biomaterials from multiple materials. The advance could be a step toward on-demand printing of complex artificial tissues for use in transplants and other surgeries.

Engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that walks underwater and grabs objects and moves them. The watery creation could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them. It may also lead to artificial heart, stomach and other muscles, along with devices for diagnosing diseases, detecting and delivering drugs and performing underwater inspections.

While advances in additive manufacturing offer potential breakthroughs in prosthetic arms or jet engine parts, 3D printing, as it is known, may also accelerate weapons proliferation.

Monika Dunkel continues to explore worldwide technology and market trends in nine key areas, and opportunities they present for the UK.

Soft robotics mimic living organisms and adapt to their surroundings. Increased flexibility and adaptability for accomplishing tasks as well as improved safety when working around humans, stimulate the use in food industry, advanced manufacturing and e-commerce.

A research team is bringing together natural medical cures with modern biomedical devices in hopes of bringing about better health outcomes for people with bone diseases.

Monika Dunkel, Knowledge Transfer Manager Emerging Technologies, Innovate UK recently reported on the technology trends featured at the recent IDTechEx Show! IDTechEx show presenters and exhibitors gave an overview of key market and technology trends in nine emerging technologies. Set in Berlin on 11th and 12th April 2018 this European show attracted visitors and exhibitors from across Europe, Israel, US and a noteable South Korean presence.

The need for lightweighting is paramount across numerous sectors and understanding the material solutions has left a significant amount of uncertainty and potential opportunities.

Within the field of 3D printing, there is increasing emphasis on functionality as the industry shifts away from the stereotype of rapid prototyping, and materials are not exempt from such scrutiny.

Researchers have developed a handheld 3D skin printer that deposits even layers of skin tissue to cover and heal deep wounds. The team believes it to be the first device that forms tissue in situ, depositing and setting in place, within two minutes or less.

Here the IDTechEx analysts in attendance present a commentary on the show's highlights in their respective fields of research

The lighter the car, the less fuel it uses, the less carbon it emits and the more money the driver saves. Now to push the boundaries on its next generation of lightweighting, the automaker is teaming up with Autodesk to use a combination of generative design and additive manufacturing as key technologies to develop future cars and trucks, including its alternative propulsion and zero emission vehicles.

Researchers have incorporated platelet-rich plasma into a bio-ink: a 3-D-printed mixture of cells and gel that could eventually become the stuff of skin grafts and regenerative tissue implants.