We are moving beyond static objects to a world of living materials that heal, think, and reshape our reality.
— Jim Carroll
The opportunity
Create materials that can self-heal, change properties on demand, or provide real-time feedback, leading to more durable, efficient, and functional products and infrastructure.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #16 Material Science Breakthroughs: “We are moving beyond static objects to a world of living materials that heal, think, and reshape our reality.”” (July 2025)
To get a sense of this megatrend, read what I wrote back then: We all use materials. We never really think about it too much, though: the science behind their discovery, the acceleration of that science, and what it leads to in terms of new opportunities. That’s what this post is about – and it’s part of my BIG Future series.
Shape-Shifting Robots . Programmable matter could enable truly versatile robots that adapt their form to their environment or task. A single robot could reconfigure itself to walk on legs across rough terrain, roll as a ball for speed on flat surfaces, and then morph into a multi-limbed gripper. This is particularly revolutionary for soft robotics, where adaptable stiffness and shape are paramount.
Smart Medical Devices and Implants . A prosthetic limb could change its stiffness and grip pattern on the fly. A smart bandage could be programmed to release different drugs in response to biological signals from the wound. Biocompatible, piezoelectric materials made from peptide-plastic hybrids could lead to sticker-like implants that sense biological signals and provide therapeutic stimulation.
From “The BIG Future: New Materials Science” (February 2023)
The inclusion of living materials in human-built environments could offer significant benefits; however, today scientists and engineers are unable to easily control the size and shape of living materials in ways that would make them useful for construction. DARPA is launching the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) program with a goal of creating a new class of materials that combines the structural properties of traditional building materials with attributes of living systems. Living materials represent a new opportunity to leverage engineered biology to solve existing problems associated with the construction and maintenance of built environments, and to create new capabilities to craft smart infrastructure that dynamically responds to its surroundings.
“ The vision of the ELM program is to grow materials on demand where they are neede d,” said ELM program manager Justin Gallivan. “ Imagine that instead of shipping finished materials, we can ship precursors and rapidly grow them on site using local resources. And, since the materials will be alive, they will be able to respond to changes in their environment and heal themselves in response to damage .”
“Therefore, there is an increased need for ultra-lightweight materials that are not energy intensive to produce, and which are easy to recycle and preferably biodegradable, but significant technological needs remain unmet. New lightweight and ultra-lightweight materials are needed that are durable (i.e. impact-, crack-, rupture-, fatigue-, and corrosion-resistant), formable, transparent, non-toxic, inexpensive to fabricate, manufactured using low environment impact processes, and biodegradable. For certain applications, improved thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and optical transparency may also be relevant. Materials having reduced density/weight would be useful for applications in space, aerospace, vehicles, industrial products, consumer products, and everyday life in the human world.”
From “Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #5 Construction: “For centuries, construction was about brute force. The next century will be about intelligence—smart materials, robotic precision, and data-driven design.”” (September 2025)
“For centuries, construction was about brute force. The next century will be about intelligence—smart materials, robotic precision, and data-driven design.” - Futurist Jim Carroll
Today, however, a powerful convergence of digital technology, advanced materials, and new methodologies is transforming every aspect of how we design, build, and manage the world’s buildings & infrastructure . Like most other industries, construction is moving from a project-based, physically-intensive model to a data-driven, technologically-advanced ecosystem.
The rise of intelligent infrastructure . Our buildings, roads, and bridges are becoming smart and connected, with integrated IoT sensors creating “living” structures that can monitor their own health and manage energy in real-time.
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #16 Material Science Breakthroughs: “We are moving beyond static objects to a world of living materials that heal, think, and reshape our reality.”
The BIG Future: New Materials Science
Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #5 Construction: “For centuries, construction was about brute force. The next century will be about intelligence—smart materials, robotic precision, and data-driven design.”