7. Conclusion

Picotechnologies (or technologies for the atomic scale) propose the inversion of our ancestral tendency towards miniaturization by monumentalizing the design, manufacturing and assembly processes of our devices and machines, starting from the atoms themselves. Almost everything remains to be invented to transform laboratory experiments and instruments into genuine industrial technology. A number of hurdles have already been identified, such as the classical or quantum architecture of molecule-machines, the temperature stability of atomically precise interconnections, and the need for extreme packaging.

The development of digital simulation tools to help design molecule machines or molecular chips is a perfect illustration of the technological challenges created by the thirst for knowledge generated by picotechnologies.

Let's not forget that...