https://phys.org/news/2018-06-d-multimaterial-stiffness.html

Xiaoyu "Rayne" Zheng, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering and a member of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute, said the microscale manufacturing system can be up-scaled to the centimeter levels and above.

"We use this new technique to create materials with programmed stiffness," said Zheng. "Basically, you can program where the modulus is distributed in 3-D. With this programming we can achieve morphing capability—to stretch and deform in different directions."