Repost: ReconBots

Dr. Dobb's TechNetCast has a feature on ReconBots designed by Nikos Papanikolopoulos's lab. The bots are organized into teams. Each team is led by a large, controlling "Ranger" bot (running Linux) and supported by several tin-can-sized, cylindrical "Scout" bots. The Ranger disperses the scouts with a launcher that can shoot them up to seventy feet. After that, the scouts roam around sending back video, sound and other data. The scouts are 40mm cylinders specifically so they can be launched from a 40mm grenade launcher! The full story, including video of the scouts getting launched, is here."  

Wow, thats really cool.  A long time ago back on my 286 I used to have this program that you could use to program differnt robot (They were really just figures on the screen) to do differant things.   It was quite complicated and pretty advanced for a 12 year old, but I think it was kind of the same idea.  Now they just have the hardware to use the software for :P  

I'd figure this would have already figured in. Granted, nobody's gonna be chock full o' nanites(if you'll excuse the expression), but it'd figure in on how some of the more modern things are manufactured. Implants, for instance. Some of the better weapons.. armors, especially.
Why wouldn't it apply to other things that are miniture, or complex? Tracking devices, sure. But there is of course more than that.. not going to say it myself, however, but I'm sure that about anyone could come up with two or three things where this could apply.