... is inspired by grapefruit and shells and could be used to make lightweight armour and 'unbreakable' bike locks

• Researchers say the material was named Proteus after the Greek god of the sea
• It can also disperse any waterjet as spheres inside it cause the jet to spread out 
• Proteus is made of ceramic spheres enclosed in a cellular aluminium structure 
• The team say Proteus could be used to create a new type of lightweight armour 

A new material inspired by grapefruits and shells has been developed by British engineers and it blunts any angle grinder or drill that it comes in contact with.

It has been named Proteus after the shape-changing Greek god of the sea and is lightweight, strong and also capable of dispersing any waterjet.

The material was developed by a team from Durham University and the Fraunhofer Institute, Germany who say it acts more like a living animal than inanimate object.

It is a 'smart material' that has been made from ceramic spheres that are encased in a cellular aluminium structure and could be used to create new lightweight armour.

The international research team got the idea for the new material from the tough cellular skin of the grapefruit and the fracture-resistant shells of molluscs.