 Molecular machines. What are they and why are they important? Meet Hannah. She always works hard at her office during the day. Exhausted, Hannah comes home and must wash her clothes and prepare to cook dinner. Cooling off in front of a fan, Hannah considers that 200 years ago, people had to work without these tools. She wonders how they managed it. At the time, scientists had only invented spinning wheels and cranks, which led to the tools Hannah uses in her busy day. But can chores be made even simpler for future generations? For that, scientists must continue to develop tomorrow's machines today. When reading about this year's Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, Hannah discovers that scientists Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddard and Bernard L. Feddinger have taken machines to an entirely new level, the molecular level. They have designed and synthesized machines out of molecules and ions, much tinier than Hannah's flu processor. How is it possible to make these machines? Jean-Pierre Sauvage began the development using minuscule molecules to create interlocking parts that can be moved in relation to each other. He used a copper ion to stick together crescent and ring-shaped molecules. Repeating this process, he created a chain of molecules, taking his first step towards a machine with a chain in which one ring rotates around the other. Fraser Stoddard later built an open ring with no electrons and an electrically charged axle. The ring was attracted to the electrons and threaded itself onto the axle. With the ring closed, it jumped between the electron rich areas of the axle like a tiny ferry. Stoddard has also designed a tiny lift, a muscle and a super tiny computer chip. Taking it a step further, Feddinger produced the first molecular motor in which a rotor blade spun 180 degrees repeatedly with each UV light pulse. He has even built a four-wheel drive nanocar, the four motors function as wheels and are held together by a molecular frame. Inspired by previous research, artistic expression and the possibility to create new materials, these scientists brought chemistry to a whole new dimension. Hannah considers this new dimension and its seemingly endless possibilities. Already, other researchers have found ways to store energy with molecular motors or even create a molecular robot that can grasp protein building blocks. With the path now paved, perhaps in another 200 years, Hannah's great-great-great-grandchildren will wonder how she managed to survive without their widespread molecular machines.