I made a number of "perpetual motion machines" with my dad at that age for science fair projects; all told, the parts and labor would have run to over a hundred dollars if they'd been commissioned jobs.

The fact that this kid made aerogels (which is cool!) doesn't mean that just anyone can make them in quantity easily and cheaply. He produced small pieces with a lot of labor (and, based on the article, some university charity). That's not insulation. It's a 5th-grade science project.