4D knitting makes rabbits that cuddle and lampshades that move

Thanks to 4D knitting, cuddly soft toys are getting a robotic upgrade. Lea Albaugh at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA and colleagues have used knitting machines to create moving children's toys and other objects. The knitted items include a toy rabbit that gives hugs when pressed in the stomach, a jumper with a self-moving sleeve, and a lampshade that changes shape. Silk strands are knitted into the fabric as part of the process. The strands function as tendons, enabling the objects to move in certain ways when they are pulled, such as curving or forming an S-shaped bend.