The research could potentially have applications in scratch-resistant phones and "self-cleaning" cars.
For example, Atlanta's Sto Corp. created a self-cleaning paint that repels dirt whenever it gets wet, just like the lotus leaf does.
The building industry is latching onto advances made by other industries like aviation to create innovations such as self-healing and self-cleaning materials.
Self-cleaning clothes would be ideal for people who don't have time to wash their clothes or don't have the facilities to do so, he believed.
Victoria Park, owner of Park Pet Supply in Atlanta, says self-cleaning varieties get top billing during this time of the year, particularly for long-haired dogs.
Nanogate-treated toilets, sinks and tubs are practically self-cleaning.
Some of the earliest applications of nanomaterials have been in products such as stain-resistant fabrics, self-cleaning windows and harder-wearing tennis balls, but more and more are turning up in cosmetics and skin lotions such as sun-blockers.
His research has resulted in the development of the first self-cleaning, dry adhesive and a number of gecko-like robots, including Stickybot, a mechanized lizard developed by Stanford University engineers that can climb up windows and walls using its own adhesive appendages.
"Technology-connected work areas at the back, relaxing zones at the front - complete with seats that monitor your health or massage your muscles - and play areas in the middle, where passengers can play virtual golf or hang out in self-cleaning bars that Mr Champion says can be used in order to socialise".
His latest passion is for establishing a business-improvement district and a system of self-imposed taxation for street cleaning and security.
There, working with local community groups, he built a business for Unilever that offers a branded, affordably-priced, self-contained plastic toilet and a toilet cleaning service run by a local social business which uses Unilever cleaning products.
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Atlanta's business leaders have recognized that improving the quality of life, whether by reducing drive time, planting trees or cleaning up the polluted Chattahoochee River, is in their self-interest, he said.
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