Wow! Now we've got the beginnings of 4-D Printing - mostly thought of for space, but in a nutshell, it's physical materials building themselves/self-assembly after being programmed

Talks

Skylar Tibbits: The emergence of "4D printing"

Filmed Feb 2013 • Posted Apr 2013 • TED2013

http://www.ted.com/talks/skylar_tibbits_the_emergence_of_4d_printing.html

3D printing has grown in sophistication since the late 1970s; TED Fellow Skylar Tibbits is shaping the next development, which he calls 4D printing, where the fourth dimension is time. This emerging technology will allow us to print objects that then reshape themselves or self-assemble over time. Think: a printed cube that folds before your eyes, or a printed pipe able to sense the need to expand or contract.
    
Skylar Tibbits, a TED Fellow, is an artist and computational architect working on "smart" components that can assemble themselves. Full bio »