The smart fabric is a suitable 'invisible' means of protecting entire buildings as it looks innocuous but incorporates a fine web of conductive threads connected to a microcontroller that detects warning signals emitted when the fabric is cut and triggers an alarm.
The smart fabric was developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin in collaboration with the Technische Universitat Berlin and ETTLIN Spinnerei und Weberei Produktions GmbH.
"The fabric could be used to implement an entirely novel, invisible security system for buildings," IZM project manager Erik Simon, said in a statement.
It enables the exact location of the break-in to be identified, and is significantly cheaper than other burglary detection systems.
The textile could be laid on the rafters of a roof as an additional layer to the vapour barrier underlay, underneath the tiles. This might be a good solution for museums housing valuable collections, or jeweler's shops, or banks.
An alternative solution would be to integrate the fabric in concrete and blockwork walls, for instance those surrounding a bank vault, researchers believe.
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Another possibility is to use it as a backing material for floor coverings, in combination with pressure sensors that signal an alarm if an unauthorised person enters the room.
"The electric current flowing through the fabric is so weak that it presents no danger to humans or animals," Simon said.