Both in the nano- and the macroscopic worlds these processes require fuel-powered engines that perform periodically repeating motion. Active mechanical motion of nanoscale objects is paramount for the bottom-up construction of bio- or technomimetic nanomechanical machines 1, 2, 3, 4 that can perform tasks such as pumping 5, walking 6, transduction or sensing of molecules or signals 7, 8, transport 9, 10 or any process involving motion 11, 12.
