A team of German and Finnish scientists have developed a new kind of rubber that self-heals after it is punctured, according to the thestatesman.com.

Amit Das, the lead author of the study, and his fellow scientists published their findings in the latest issue of “Applied Materials & Interfaces,” a journal of the American Chemical Society.

The rubber developed is tire-grade rubber and uses a new process that avoids vulcanization. During testing, scientists found that when cut the material would heal itself at room temperature, which could allow a tire to self-heal when parked. Scientists also found the healing process does not hurt the rubber’s durability.

Researches said the rubber could be strengthened by adding conventional fillers agents such as silica or carbon black.

The scientists said the study was motivated by the work of French scientists led who created a self-healing rubber-like material in 2008, but was not stable over time.