SMART MATTER , material utilizing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), is almost sentient in that is can sense (strain, temperature, pressure, motion, etc.), actuate (push, squeeze, deflect, switch, etc.), communicate (with fibers, antennas, wires, etc.), and calculate (with microprocessors). Machines or even arrays of millimeter and micron-sized machines on a chip, made with integrated-circuit technology, are still at an early stage of deployment, but researchers foresee a micro-industrial revolution: clouds of meteorological smart dust sent to keep an eye on a hurricane, programmable silicon cilia to sort blood cells or position tiny machine parts, and microflaps to control a plane's wing shape. (Science News, 26 July.)