Not sure what the term is evolving to mean these days, but here is the original definition, much different than the posted article.
Over 6 years ago, nonotechnologists conceptualized a good use for their future products, driven by R&D pressure from the US military.
Smart dust is a cute term coined to describe nanometer sized sensors or bots, designed to be deployed by the thousands or millions, to act together as a communications dust cloud, to detect and relay info remotely, such as from a battlefield. The devices are expected to be no bigger than a grain of salt, much less by design, will be deployed by air and are meant to simply drift and hover over a site for long periods of time, virtually undetectable.
Non-military uses would be Meteorology, EPA monitoring of land, sea or air, traffic control, etc.
Of course this tech requires GREAT advances in nanotechnology, which the military is reportedly doing. But mainstream use is way off. And the military does not buy domains. That is the problem with it as a domain name. Popularity is not likely for some while. But perhaps the posted article shows that the new definitions mean it is creeping into the public lexicon even at this large scale.
For future tech domains, never expect a quick sale, always be incredibly patient, like 10 years or more, you may get an early surprise with an interested buyer. Because they are so speculative, they may never sell or be worth anything, but like all things speculative, they may be a hit. The problem is you will have to wait it out, perhaps until the IP addressing system changes completely to eliminate all domain names all together, which is more likely than anyone here would care to admit.
Tech domains do NOT have lots of buyers, never have, and never will. I own the dot net, and plan to wait until the IP system drops domain names, no biggie. I could care less if I get a buyer or not, have to forget the domain for now. The 4k price is a holding place of sorts, pending further developments. It will go up or down in the future. I adjust prices across 700 domains every 2 months according to a simple formula that combines a score for direct type in traffic, weighed against the number of offers or inquiries received, then for tech names, adjusted against the articles that I stumble on, with a subjective1-10 rating. I do not search for articles, must sense the main stream. For this domain, no big changes, low type in traffic, few to no offers per month, but about one article or so per month, so it is still alive. Prices will be pressured down slowly due to the low traffic and inquiries, but a news rating of 4 keeps it from spiraling.
The appraisers on these boards think here and now, which is great for domain names, but not speculative tech domain names. Their comments are correct, no buyers on the near horizon. But a tech domain is incredibly speculatively, which means it needs much time to cook. Think long term, relax, write it off as a tax loss for now, keep watching the news, and try to adjust ask prices accordingly. Good luck.