The construction and handling of nanostructures. Nanotechnology was predicted in 1959 by physicist Richard Feynman, but did not get under way until the invention of scanning-tunnelling microscopy in 1981. Today a range of nanofabrication techniques exist, using very high-resolution microscopes, lithography, chemical synthesis, and various self-assembly techniques. See also nanoelectronics.
http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/3 A discussion on the future of nanotechnology with Sir Harry Kroto and others