Design MEMS Sensors for Consumer Markets

He is not suggesting it. He says that HP has created it.

"Are there alternative approaches to nano-based design?"

Yes. obviously... as we biological mechanisms can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and sense temperature and pressure and balance, with added software for spatial awareness, texture sensing, pattern matching, and sometimes logic. Not only do we sense, but we create and react also also. Nature provides the examples, and in all likelihood, the limits also.

Additionally, K. Eric Drexler describes nano scale assemblers that are able to reproduce. Current technologies do not come anywhere near that goal... If by Nano-based approach, he means to reiterate what Drexler originated in the '80's, then yes, it is a valid approach.. Mems can be the mechanism that might allow the creation of micron scale replicating factories, which can subsequently author nano scale replicators and assemblers.

from Hartwell:

"For instance, design engineers working with structural health monitoring systems require a sensing system that can deliver real-time measurements of the motion and mode shape of a bridge. A large bridge, such as the Golden Gate, could use hundreds or even thousands of sensor nodes equipped with accelerometers remotely monitoring vibrations to track the aging of the structure and signal an alert in the event of a variation from the normal data output. The sensor nodes need to be small, rugged, low cost and low power to minimize maintenance of the system once installed on the structure."

Let's get Jamie and Adam from Mythbusters to test them with their Tesla based earthquake machine.

Wouldn't a nano-based approach result in NEMS?