ANN ARBOR The U.S. Office of Naval Research has awarded a $7.5 million grant to a team of researchers led by the University of Michigan to bring metamaterial to life. Metamaterials are unlike natural materials in that their properties are determined by how the material is structured. Led by physicist Xiaoming Mao, the five-year grant from the Department of Defenses 2020 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative program will allow her put her theoretical work with metamaterial to practice. In other words, her metamaterials can change properties based on how they come into contact with certain objects by absorbing direct stress, shock and preventing damage. The research could have significant implications on the design of helmets and body armor that change properties upon direct collision impact.