Electronic wearables and sensors could one day be made from a material that toughens up as it gets hit or stretched, thanks to new research carried out by a team from the University of California, Merced.

The new material was actually inspired by the corn starch used in cooking, which can be stirred when water is added. Unlike wet sand, which has a consistent viscosity whether mixed or punched, cornstarch slurry acts like a liquid when stirred gently and like a solid when punched quickly.

Personalized electronic prosthetics are another potential use case, and something the researchers have already experimented with. Eventually, artificial limbs could be 3D printed from this versatile material.

It’s another reminder of the potential for new materials to be discovered and existing materials to be refined, and how they might change our futures – from the devices we use to the clothes we wear.