It’s a gel developed by UK-company D3O that acts as both a liquid and a solid. When handled slowly the goo is soft and flexible but the moment it receives an impact, it hardens. It’s all thanks to the gel’s shock-absorbing properties.

“If I wrap it around my fingers, it’s very soft,” Felicity Boyce, a material developer at D3O, told CNN, “but if you hit it with great force, it behaves more like a solid that’s absorbing the shock and none of that impact goes through my hand.”

With careful blending, the team has been able to use the patented gel in helmets, mobile phone cases, gloves and most notably, armor for football players and those in the military.