Smart materials and advanced manufacturing technologies are transforming the way engineering systems are designed, fabricated, and deployed across sectors such as healthcare, robotics, aerospace, transportation, energy, and sustainable infrastructure. Recent developments in smart materials, metamaterials, robotic materials, bio-composites, and bio-inspired systems have enabled the creation of structures and devices with enhanced functionality, adaptability, and performance. In parallel, additive manufacturing (AM) has become a key enabler for processing smart materials into complex, functional architectures. Techniques such as multi-material AM, embedded printing of stimuli-responsive polymers, and direct ink writing of shape-memory alloys and hydrogels now allow the fabrication of intelligent structures that sense, actuate, and adapt. Together with advances in digital design, physics-based modelling, and artificial intelligence, these manufacturing innovations are accelerating the development and deployment of next-generation smart material systems.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest research on the design, modelling, fabrication, characterisation, and application of smart materials and manufacturing systems. Contributions addressing fundamental science, innovative manufacturing approaches, including additive manufacturing, 3D and 4D printing, multifunctional materials, intelligent structures, and emerging industrial and biomedical applications are particularly encouraged. Both original research articles and critical review papers are welcome.