Engineers in Germany are busily using nanotechnology to protect surfaces from dirt and grime.

FORBES: Nanotechnology: A New World Is Born

The outermost part of this layer prevents other particles, like dirt and grime, from binding to it.

FORBES: Nanotechnology: A New World Is Born

The socks do a good job of repelling "trail grime, " the combination of mud, sweat, dirt and pine needles that can cling to a sock, she says.

WSJ: It Ain't Rocket Science, but Sock-Making Comes Close