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This New Material Is Like 'Bouncy Wood'

by Andrea Garcia-Vargas

"Sugru" is an odd word for an odd material, described as "bouncy wood" or silicone rubber. But however weird it sounds, it works: Sugru started out as a concept in an art school workshop and now, a decade later, has become a cult hit. Sugru is essentially like Play-Doh — except much stronger, very adhesive, and actually pretty useful.

Sugru is flexible, which means you can form it into a shape — but about 30 minutes after you do, the Sugru stops being bendy. You can do anything you like with Sugru: Create a more comfortable knife handle; create an easier grip on pot handles (Sugru is also pretty heat-resistant;) repair broken cables; repair a broken door handle; cover up holes in leaking boots — you name it.

The inventor was Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh, now the CEO of Sugru, who was profiled in a Guardian article Sunday. As a masters' student studying product design at the UK's Royal College of Art, Dhulchaointigh began brainstorming Sugru back in 2003. This included undertaking experiments that involved a combination of bathroom sealant with wood-dust powder. The results? Wooden-like balls that bounced.

However, once she graduated with her M.A., Dhulchaointigh still hadn't arrived upon the final version of her product. All she knew, as she told The Guardian , was that she wanted a "really, really functional version of Blu-Tack that would be permanent and have lots of benefits."

With the help of business grants, scientists, and a silicone expert, she then spent seven years after RCA at a London university developing Sugru. Needless to say, she exceeded her goal:. As of 2013, Sugru had made 1.8 million in English pounds (the equivalent of $3 million) through sales and retailers, and now Sugru will turn a profit in this year's second quarter.

Take a look at a promotional video from Sugru here.

In fact, British Olympic fencer, James Davis, used Sugru on his foil back in the 2012 games, as you can see below. He structured a strip of Sugru around the handle to make the foil more comfortable for him to hold.

But we have to ask — why "sugru?" As Dhulchaointigh told The Guardian, the word is Irish for "play." Well, fancy that!

Image: M-image/Fotolia