--- title: These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they’re being... description: MIT researchers developed ShiftLens, a 3D printing system that enables objects to change their visual appearance based on physical interactions like pressing,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/these-3d-printed-objects-can-tell-you-if-they-re-being-used-properly-mq8zdj4q4 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they’re being used properly | daily.dev og:description: MIT researchers developed ShiftLens, a 3D printing system that enables objects to change their visual appearance based on physical interactions like pressing,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/these-3d-printed-objects-can-tell-you-if-they-re-being-used-properly-mq8zdj4q4 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/mQ8ZDj4Q4.png og:image:alt: These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they’re being used properly og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they’re being used properly **[MIT News](https://daily.dev/sources/mit)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary MIT researchers developed ShiftLens, a 3D printing system that enables objects to change their visual appearance based on physical interactions like pressing, sliding, or turning — all without any electronics. The system combines lenticular lens arrays with patterned backplanes to create mechanically switchable surfaces. A user-friendly design tool automatically converts desired visual states and object shapes into printer-ready models for multimaterial 3D printers. Example applications include a chemical bottle that turns red when its cap is loose and a tic-tac-toe game with mechanically toggled squares. Potential uses span warning signs, smart packaging, industrial piping diagnostics, and rapid prototyping for artistic and engineering applications. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [3D Printable Lenticular Indicators](https://daily.dev/posts/3d-printable-lenticular-indicators-yhtirwtw4) · Hackaday · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [MIT engineers create a system for building shape-changing smart devices](https://daily.dev/posts/mit-engineers-create-a-system-for-building-shape-changing-smart-devices-tzvz2azsk) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [A flexible lens controlled by light-activated artificial muscles promises to let soft machines see](https://daily.dev/posts/a-flexible-lens-controlled-by-light-activated-artificial-muscles-promises-to-let-soft-machines-see-ne02e19fg) · Robohub · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Metalenses Boost Two-Photon Lithography Speed](https://daily.dev/posts/metalenses-boost-two-photon-lithography-speed-oegumiehg) · IEEE Spectrum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Preview tool helps makers visualize 3D-printed objects](https://daily.dev/posts/preview-tool-helps-makers-visualize-3d-printed-objects-mxbagfg9f) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#mit](https://daily.dev/tags/mit), [#human-computer-interaction](https://daily.dev/tags/human-computer-interaction) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/these-3d-printed-objects-can-tell-you-if-they-re-being-used-properly-mq8zdj4q4) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they’re being used properly","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/these-3d-printed-objects-can-tell-you-if-they-re-being-used-properly-mq8zdj4q4","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/these-3d-printed-objects-can-tell-you-if-they-re-being-used-properly-mq8zdj4q4"},"datePublished":"2026-08-05T04:04:07.556Z","dateModified":"2026-08-05T04:04:26.307Z","description":"MIT researchers developed ShiftLens, a 3D printing system that enables objects to change their visual appearance based on physical interactions like pressing,...","image":"https://news.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/202608/MIT-Shift-Lens-01-press.gif","thumbnailUrl":"https://news.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/202608/MIT-Shift-Lens-01-press.gif","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"MIT News","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"MIT News","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/881e20a40aa44b12ba4bd27f5c14289d","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/mit"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/these-3d-printed-objects-can-tell-you-if-they-re-being-used-properly-mq8zdj4q4","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"mit,human-computer-interaction","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MIT News","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/mit"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they’re being used properly"}]} ```