Some people say it’s the Twilight Zone. Others say it’s a realm beyond the pale of human understanding. The military says it can print it.

3D printing has garnered a great deal of attention in the past year, from incredible applications of technology to the frankly overwrought fear of 3D printed guns. The military in particular has seen possibilities for this tech, and is researching placing these printers on Navy ships for the purposes of printing spare parts and ammunition. The issue holding them back is the “conundrum of assembly”. You can print all the parts in the world, but you still need to put them together.

Now, consider the possibility of printing a series of parts, and then simply watching as they assemble themselves. That’s what researchers consider 4D printing, and it’s a brave new world of creative possibilities that we won’t experience until we’re old and gray. Full applications of this tech are decades down the road, but the implications of this tech are very interesting. According to the recipients of a $855,000 grant from the Army, any amount of tech can be created, such as active camouflage textiles, shelters that set themselves up when they get wet, and many more.

What Sparks Our Fire: Seeing the future possibilities of technology in their nascent stage right here.

What would you like to see 4D printed in the future?