Enabling technologies, as defined by CRN, are those that "may represent significant steps toward the eventual realization of exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing."
We sometimes talk about these activities as "filling the nanotechnology toolbox."
In the past, when we've highlighted such steps, they've generally referred to early stages of tool development. Now, however, we have really big news to report:
"We are extremely proud to receive this award," said John Randall, Ph.D., Vice President of Zyvex Labs and Principal Investigator for the APMC research program. "The technologies developed by this program will be the first to allow robust three-dimensional solid structures to be created with atomic precision under computer control."
The difference here is that instead of doing work that may someday help make tools for molecular manufacturing, this time they're actually beginning to build the tools themselves.
Again, this is not all the way there, but it's a very significant step -- especially when you consider that it represents major funding from the U.S. government -- and also when you consider separate funding recently announced for related work in the United Kingdom.
One of the biggest challenges that CRN and our colleagues have faced for many years is getting government researchers and funding agencies to take seriously the concepts behind nanofactory technology. It's obvious now that all the efforts we and others have made are finally bearing fruit.
(H/T Brian Wang)
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