ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how electromechanical interactions can be used to assemble electronic components, and organize materials to change their properties, and looks at the possible applications for nanometer-scale electric motors. The principal requirements in the development of new electronics technologies required for nanometer-scale engineering are the development of the nanoscale components themselves and the need to be able to manipulate them in such a way as to assemble functional devices that are also on the nanometer scale. The chapter examines three approaches to the construction of nanoscale devices using electric fields; each demonstrates a different approach to nanoconstruction. Beyond the field of computing, other ideas for nanoelectromechanical devices are being considered, often using nature as a guide. One such development is the study of the potential for mechanical devices such as electric motors on the nanoscale. Rotary and linear protein motors exist in nature for processing of molecules, for transport around the cell interior, and most importantly for motility.
