Concrete cracks, then crumbles. It’s why we spend billions repairing buildings and walkways across the world. The newest concrete, however, can bend and heal itself.

Victor Li at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has spent more than a decade developing the new super concrete. His latest composite material can bend like rubber and suffer only hairline cracks that repair themselves when exposed to water and air. The material uses water and air to form calcium carbonate—the same stuff seashells are made of—that seals the cracks almost instantaneously.

It costs nearly three times as much as traditional concrete, but should save builders and owners countless cash in the long run by  nearly eliminating maintenance costs. The composite also eliminates the need for expensive and complex anti-earthquake equipment. Li estimates that, all things considered, the new material will make buildings and structures cheaper and more durable than ever before.

A similar material has already been used in a 60-story skyscraper in Osaka, Japan, and a bridge in Michigan.

Link to National Geographic article