Self-Assembly

When plants perform movements such as curling their leaves, they do so by drawing water into the cellulose fibers in that part of their "body." Scientists have now replicated that technique to produce self-folding paper structures.

Lenco, RepRap Universe and the Qeske community have created the Lenco-MD in the belief that today's record player should just be a general starting point, and that vinyl lovers should be able to enhance, customize and upgrade that basic template to reflect their personal tastes or needs.​

Paper engineer Robert Sabuda has teamed up with the Leonardo da Vinci Robot Society to create the Drawmaton drawing machine that's based on a rumor, that da Vinci's so-called Robot Knight coudl not only sit, stand and hug guests at parties, but could also draw.

Stringed instruments bowed by a wheel cranked by hand have been around for centuries, and come in many shapes and sizes. Inspired by 16th century instruments, model maker UGears has launched a self assembly hurdy gurdy kit on Kickstarter that should appeal to wooden puzzle fans and musicians alike.

​MIT researchers have developed a new way to make smaller circuits that would allow more of them to be crammed onto microchips. The new technique could make patterns smaller than 10 nm by combining several processes already used, which means they could be implemented relatively easily and cheaply.

​Materials that fold themselves are usually triggered by light, which works well for building simple 3D shapes like cubes and pyramids. By varying the color of the light and the "hinges," a new method can make more complex structures by triggering the material to fold in a specific order.

Modal Electronics has detailed its upcoming Modal CRAFTsynth monophonic DSP-based synthesizer, which comes as a self-assembly kit. The UK-based boutique maker reckons that sonic wizards should be ready to rock in less than 10 minutes.

Using a phenomenon dubbed "Teslaphoresis," researchers have made carbon nanotubes self-assemble to form a circuit linking two LEDs and then used the energy from that same field to power them

Lots of people make their own robots, and in all sorts of ways, but have you ever heard of anyone baking one in an oven? Researchers at MIT have injected further heat into the evolving 4D printing space by demonstrating how to create self-assembling bodies that fold together when baked.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have grown liquid crystal flowers, making it possible to create lenses as complex as the compound eye of a dragonfly. The technology could enable lenses to be grown on curved surfaces and building new materials, smart surfaces, microlens arrays, and more.

Using a 3D printer, people can already determine the length, width and depth of an object that they create. Now, however, a fourth dimension can now be included – time.

Imagine if an army of cubes could roll around and even jump on their own, joining with one another to form a variety of structures. Well, that's exactly what a team of robotics researchers are trying to turn into a reality – and they've already developed the cubes that could do it.