Designs for the Better World

Dream Paper Concept – 4D Paper Printing Technology

When you have something you want to make with paper, you cut/fold paper to make the shape.
I wish however, there were paper and ink that do the ‘folding’ and ‘cutting’ automatically. You send the data of the shape you want to make from your computer/mobile to the printer. The paper you printed out automatically starts to cut and fold itself!

If that really happens, you’d be able to make various complicated paper models with no efforts. It’d be even cool if you could download 3D data from a gallery like Google 3D Warehouse, print it out and you get it in your hand. You download a physical thing!

But wait! If you could even control not only where and how far to fold but also when to fold via bluetooth or wifi, it means you could move paper as you like without touching it. (It’s like embedding Javascript in paper!)

And the shape-shifting concepts like the below one wouldn’t need any complicated mechanisms if such paper technology were available.

10 responses

  1. You definitely need a Facebook-Like-Button on your website. I’d click it a hundred times! 🙂

    January 24, 2012 at 5:16 pm

  2. Hi!! I really like your concept futurism!! The design and color are lovely and simple. First I came here because a blog has quoted your concept of iphone printing, it’s amazing!!
    And second i think that one of your dreams (here) may already existed, it have the same concept with the second photo and give the same result: the software named Pepakura actually allowed people to create paper craft models from 3 dimensions data! Check it out from here http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/
    It will be super-great if the paper can fold itseft, but art always require effort! so take your time 😀

    January 24, 2012 at 6:40 pm

  3. Coco

    I think you need to check this out.

    This is a special polymer that is able to fold by itself when under a light source.
    It’s not exactly the same concept, but maybe it can give you even more ideas 🙂

    January 25, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    • Wow great. Thanks for the tip.

      February 6, 2012 at 11:26 am

  4. really really like this posting…

    February 17, 2012 at 11:17 am

  5. really really like this posting…

    February 17, 2012 at 11:19 am

  6. tremendous..absolutely brilliant..

    February 17, 2012 at 11:20 am

  7. i love the imaginary concept of this post. very intriguing and futuristic. great job

    February 29, 2012 at 6:07 am

  8. Hello: How would the folding of paper, would be a special role?

    March 29, 2012 at 9:21 am

  9. that would be so amazing, but the actual machine would probably had to be alot bigger

    June 13, 2012 at 12:12 am

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