More homeowners are tearing down wallpaper then putting it up in their homes. Yet a group of Army engineers think wallpaper could be more valuable than ever for soldiers seeking shelter.

Nick Boone, a research mechanical engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the wallpaper, made of ballistic Kevlar fibres embedded in flexible polymer film, had been successfully tested.

"Blast-proof" wallpaper that could protect soldiers from explosions is being developed by the US army. Rolls of lightweight sticky wallpaper, lined with tough Kevlar fibres, could be carried by ...