New Kind of Anti-Theft System: Smart Fabric Sets Off the Alarm
Baku, September 14 (AZERTAC). Researchers have developed a new kind of anti-theft system, based on a woven fabric that triggers an alarm when penetrated by intruders. The smart fabric enables the exact location of the break-in to be identified, and is significantly cheaper than other burglary detection systems. It is also suitable as an invisible means of protecting entire buildings.
The smart fabric was developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin in collaboration with the Technische Universität Berlin and ETTLIN Spinnerei und Weberei Produktions GmbH. The company in Ettlingen manufactures technical textiles, among other things, and has filed a patent for the innovative fabric. IZM project manager Erik Simon can envision a whole swathe of potential applications, particularly where there is a need to provide protection over a large surface area.
What makes this solution unique is the fact that it not only signals the presence of intruders but also indicates the precise point of forced entry. The fine lattice of conductive threads woven into the fabric enables the place where it was cut to be identified to the nearest centimeter. Other solutions currently on the market require a complex system of optical fibers, which naturally makes them more expensive.
. The process makes exclusive use of standard materials and components such as silver-coated conductive threads and a simple but robust signal evaluation system. A further advantage is that "the conductive thread can be incorporated in the polyester substrate using an industry-standard textile-weaving process," explains Simon.
The conductive lattice and the data-processing module that triggers the alarm in the monitoring center are incorporated in a low-temperature process using joining techniques borrowed from the semiconductor industry such as adhesive pressure bonding and non-destructive welding.
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