Imagine: a hurricane is barreling towards your house, but instead of hiding in the basement, you can stay safely and comfortably in your living room, all thanks to your X-Flex Blast Protection System wallpaper. It’s not a fantasy; the wallpaper, invented by Berry Plastics in a partnership with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, actually exists — and a single sheet is strong enough to stop a wrecking ball.

Best Of What’s New 2009: Bombproof Wallpaper Test from PopSci.com on Vimeo.

The X-Flex wallpaper is an adhesive with sticky backing that attaches to the inside of brick and cinder walls. According to its designers, covering an entire room takes less than an hour. The wallpaper is so effective that a single layer can keep a wrecking ball from smashing through a brick wall, and a double layer can stop blunt objects (i.e. a flying 2×4) from knocking down drywall.

So how does it work? The X-Flex system features Kevlar-like material in between two sheets of elastic polymer wrap. Apparently, that’s all it takes to keep a wrecking ball from taking down your house.

The Army is already thinking about using the wallpaper on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Berry Plastics plans to sell a commercial version of X-Flex next year.

via Inhabitat » Bomb-Proof Wallpaper Could Save You in a Natural Disaster.