Supramolecular events take place through self-assembly process in which molecular modules spontaneously form ordered aggregates through various types of intermolecular interactions.Among many self-assembling systems,aromatic rigid building blocks have proven to be particularly interesting due to their great potentials to construct smart nanostructures.Because the self-assembly of the rod blocks arises mostly from subtle anisometric interactions,the small variations in local environments trigger rapid transformation of the equilibrium features.Along this line,we have made an effort to construct smart supramolecular systems by introducing oligoether dendrons into aromatic rod building blocks (Figure).We have shown that rod amphiphiles with oligoether dendrons self-assemble into various well-defined nanostructures that are able to respond to environmental changes by changing their shapes and macroscopic properties.We have also shown that bent-shaped rigid segments can adopt hexameric macrocycles with a dynamic mechanical motion triggered by temperature.In this symposium,our progress to exploit smart nanostructures in aqueous solution will be presented together with their practical implications.