A novel wire scanner has been developed with applications at linear accelerators where small beam spots or high intensities would otherwise destroy wires. A pattern of wires is supported on a thin membrane and remains in place even when punctured by the beam. Many scans can be made before the material needs to be replaced. Tests of the principle have been carried out at the Final Focus Test Beam at SLAG. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.