The convergence of additive manufacturing, smart materials, and biomedical engineering has given rise to a new generation of functional constructs capable of responding dynamically to environmental stimuli. While conventional three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies have revolutionized the fabrication of customized biomedical devices and tissue engineering scaffolds, the emergence of four-dimensional (4D) printing introduces the capability of programmed shape, property, or functionality transformation over time. Such advancements have opened unprecedented opportunities for developing adaptive implants, self-deploying medical devices, intelligent drug delivery systems, soft robotics, and dynamic tissue constructs.

Recent progress in bioprinting and advanced manufacturing techniques, including materials extrusion, stereolithography (SLA), direct ink writing (DIW), powder bed fusion (PBF), extrusion-based bioprinting, and hybrid manufacturing approaches, has significantly expanded the design space for smart biomedical systems. In parallel, the development of stimuli-responsive materials—including shape memory polymers, electroactive polymers, magnetoresponsive composites, hydrogels, and multifunctional biomaterials—has enabled the fabrication of structures capable of responding to thermal, magnetic, electrical, light, moisture, pH, and biochemical stimuli.

Particularly noteworthy is the growing interest in metamaterial-based architectures and multiscale design strategies that combine programmable geometries with smart material behavior. These systems can achieve properties and functionalities unattainable through material composition alone, providing new pathways toward next-generation biomedical devices and engineered living systems.

This Special Issue aims to provide a dedicated platform for researchers working at the intersection of 4D printing, bioprinting, smart materials, and advanced manufacturing technologies. The issue seeks to showcase recent advances in material development, processing strategies, computational design, characterization, and biomedical applications of adaptive and responsive printed systems.

Topics of Interest

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• 4D printing technologies for biomedical and healthcare applications, drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biomedical sensors and wearable devices.
• 4D bioprinting
• FDM, DLP, SLA, DIW, SLM, extrusion-based, and emerging additive manufacturing techniques
• Shape memory polymers, alloys, and shape memory composites
• Magnetoresponsive, electroactive, photoresponsive, and thermoresponsive materials
• Smart hydrogels and bioinks for programmable biological systems
• Multifunctional and multiresponsive biomaterials
• Multi-material and gradient-material additive manufacturing
• Metamaterial-inspired shape memory structures and architected materials
• Soft robotics and bioinspired adaptive systems
• Computational design and simulation of 4D-printed structures
• Sustainable and biodegradable smart materials for additive manufacturing

Expected Impact

This Special Issue will bring together leading researchers from materials science, additive manufacturing, biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and soft robotics to establish a comprehensive overview of current advances and future directions in smart and adaptive bioprinting technologies. By highlighting interdisciplinary developments in responsive materials, multifunctional composites, hydrogels, and metamaterial architectures, the issue will contribute to accelerating the transition from static printed structures toward dynamic, intelligent, and clinically relevant biomedical systems.