Dr. Mihail Roco is Chair of the U.S. National Science and Technology Council's subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology. He's also the individual most responsible for the creation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and is the U.S. Government's foremost expert on nanotechnology issues.

In a new interview with Nanotechnology.com, Rocco was asked what he considers the biggest factor currently hampering nanotechnology development? His answer surprised me because it was different from what most other nanotech experts have to say, which is typically that the Regulatory situation is too foggy, there's too much uncertainty about marketable applications, or venture capital is still shy about all things nano. Instead, his answer went to the technical hurdles yet to be overcome:

"Although industry interest in nanotechnology is very strong," said Rocco, "we still have poor basic knowledge of the nanoscale. We also lack the tools to easily and extensively manipulate the nanoscale. So there is still an enormous amount of work to be done in fundamental research. For example, we can currently simulate millions of atoms in a computer, but we cannot accurately and precisely visualize molecular structures that are relevant to biology and engineering."