History

In a nutshell

Atomically precise technology was first introduced to a wider public in Richard Feynman's famous talk "There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom". Back then the idea was simply called nanotechnology.

The technologies potential was well percieved and lead to heavy funding of everything claming to be "nanotechnology" in the US. Since at this point in time atomically precise material science was still quite far out of reach all things smaller than a micron where called nanotechnology. This mainly included non atomically precise nanoparticles and other structures with the atoms statistically distributed. Those structures can not play a central role in the archivement of APM. Other parts of the world followed with ther funding without ever publicly percieving the original idea of atomic precesicion. The place where atomic precesision was already archieved at this time where the well established molecular sciences. People involved in those saw little incentive to switch their work under the banner of "nanotechnology". Also they where heavily focused in the scientific study of organic chemistry and bioloical systems. Thaking the inverse rout to engineer molecular systems for non biological applications was not on their scedule.

Small but parallel to the growth of "nanotechnology" funding APM was further advertised in the book "Engines of Creation". The most dystopic ideas out of there where picked up the most dystopic aspects of "nanotechnology"

the original idea of atomical precesicion didn't die down in the non scientific but interested US public but they thought of it as "nanotechnology".

With the book "Engines of Creation" feynmans

Parallel to these developments eoc and goo prey

less neither public nor scientists well established