Some others have at least read about it in the media. There is a fairly small core of scientists and engineers who have examined the possibilities of nanoscience and technology. Those who have examined nanotechnology or are already working in this field are extremely excited about the future. They know there will be major advances and these will come very soon for many different applications. The Nanorevolution is new but nanotechnology is not.
Biology is essentially nanotechnology that works now.
For instance, photosynthesis is a molecular-scale mechanical operation and enzymes are nanosize factories. The challenge is to learn how to control such processes. Once we can do this, there will be advances in everything from microelectronics to chemical engineering. Many distinctive and potentially useful phenomena and properties emerge as size approaches the nanoscale level. Similarly, the optical, electrical, magnetic, and chemical properties extend from a classical to a quantum description.