I remember poing fun at that article when it came out in 2008. Beer out of hops, yeast and water - no malt required! Gizmodo - sucked in 2008, still sucks in 2011.
Of course the NanoBrewMaster never came into existence. Even the website is long gone.
I don't think automation will ever replace the homebrewer. There's too many variables and contingencies which decisions must be made that can't be done by a machine alone.