Nanotechnology is the technology of building things at a molecular scale, that is, where objects are measured in nanometers. Nanotechnology has the potential to improve both energy production technology, and the efficiency of end–use technology. Before this is possible, scientists must develop techniques to manipulate atoms and molecules well enough to build machines and structures. This means that the design of an object must specify each atom in the object, and all the chemical bonds between them. Such a design or object is called "atomically precise." In plants and animals, molecular biology has this capability, with certain substantial limitations. In the laboratory, atoms and molecules can be moved with the tip of a scanning probe, such as an STM (scanning tunneling microscope) or an AFM (atomic force microscope), but with other limitations. Other approaches include manipulation with electron beams, light waves ("optical tweezers"), and deposition in thin...