Molecular Motors , Actuators , and Mechanical Devices

Atomically precise manufacturing systems, such as those described in Nanosystems [1], will utilize molecular motors and actuators that drive components to perform useful work. The conversion of electrical and chemical energy into mechanical motion is facilitated by the use of gears, bearings, drive shafts, springs, and so forth, to direct the motion of components and minimize energy losses. Thus, research efforts dedicated to produce these sorts of components are considered to be both a direct pathway in our Roadmap and an enabler of other pathways that can take advantage of these molecular mechanical devices and the fabrication techniques developed to produce them. This section summarizes the state-of-the-art in the construction of these devices and describes their relevance to the Roadmap. Table 3 at the end of this section provides a summary of representative molecular motors, actuators, and mechanical devices.