The Nano Craze

I find all of this research in nanotechnology very interesting, but I’m a bit skeptical because I am yet to see results. My brother does research at Rice University on Nanotubes and other nanotechnologies and has helped published quite a few papers on the new technology, but he has yet to bring home that indestructable, light as a feather piece of “nano-metal”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an extremely interesting line of research. He told me one day that one of his colleagues just finished production of a nano-truck that has 1/5000 the width of a human hair and could actually move or be “driven” by certain processes. Of course, I never ask what the use of that could possibly be, I wouldn’t want to offend him. I’m always a bit curious about what actually could be logically and usefully made with this technology and I am yet to see it. Now, I know that hopefully nanotechnology will help to make T-shirt thin bullet proof vests one day, and that there are some ultra-efficient solar panels already in use, but I want to see some of this nano-smano junk made for the consumer that will legitamently help our everyday lives.