The panel discuss the huge range of potential applications, from nano-computers to nano-devices to clean the body's arteries.

Transcript -- The Next Big Thing

How - and why -  would you build a machine 10,000 times thinner than a human hair? This album features experts discussing the paradigm shift that is occurring in science. Scientists are learning to manipulate atoms on the scale of a billionth of a metre and control them to perform specific tasks. They can emulate biological and chemical systems to fabricate machines that will destroy cancer cells in the body, giving us nano-drugs of the future; and IBM is using nano-technology for information storage on a molecular scale. There are many other applications which will have a significant impact on the way we live. This album also provides an introduction to quantum computing and quantum mechanics. The material forms part of The Open University course S250 Science in context.