Coaster detector whattie?

Fast Company – Two German students have invented a coaster that detects when the beer glas is getting empty and notifies the bartender. Talk about spending too much time in bars!! but what it does highlight is just hw much the new world of nanobots and microtechnology has and can continue to add value. The interesting thing is that in general, retail hasnt yet caught onto this in a big way. This should be a no brainer, Pick n Pay could do stocktake in 5 mins as opposed to 3 days. BMW could be notified when a cars brake pads start getting dangerously thin, shoes could tell you when they need to be resoled or tossed and your firdge can keep inventory of everything in it and in time in the kitchen. So why is this technology taking so long to catch on? Is it cost? is it fear? is it lack of innovative thinking? What probably needs to happen is more everyday people like these guys need to come up with useful everyday ideas of how to harness and capture this kind if useful technology!