This emerging technique, which adds transformation over time, is commonly called what?

4D printing is the name given to this technique because it adds time as a fourth dimension to standard 3D printing, using special materials engineered to change shape after they are printed in response to triggers like heat, water, or light. A flat or simple printed shape can therefore transform on its own into a more complex final form after it leaves the printer.

Holography creates three-dimensional-looking images using light interference patterns, a visual illusion technique with nothing to do with physically transforming printed objects. Electroplating coats an object with a thin metal layer using an electric current, a surface-finishing process unrelated to shape-changing printed materials.

Researchers envision 4D-printed parts that could fold themselves into furniture, adjust the flow inside pipes as conditions change, or even self-assemble in hard-to-reach places like inside the human body or on distant spacecraft.