• A Kinect-v2 Time-of-Flight sensor (130 MHz modulation, 600 fps) is being re-engineered into a non-contact brain–computer interface: the skull’s IR transparency allows the 512 × 424 pixel array to pick up 80–300 Hz phase modulations from neuronal activity, producing simultaneous EEG-like signals across the whole field of view.

• Phase (atan2 of I/Q quadrature) captures fast neural events, while amplitude tracks slower hemodynamic changes; optical scattering in brain tissue shortens the effective wavelength, boosting sensitivity to micro-scale neural oscillations.

• A participant demonstrated a “dead-bug” breakout for the Xbox One Kinect v2’s serial flash chip, hand-wiring magnet wire to header pins so custom firmware can be flashed for the BCI experiment.

• Two microfluidic fabrication methods were compared: a laser-etching rig (http://diyhpl.us/laser_etcher/laser_etcher/) versus a DMD-projector/SU-8/PDMS workflow, with debate on balancing optical resolution, droplet retention, and fabrication speed.

• Sam Zeloof’s wafer-level photolithography workflow—using only a spin-coater, photoresist, DMD projector, and chemical etchants—was highlighted as an accessible route to custom IC prototyping without metallization steps.

• A tabletop experiment showed selective quenching of UV-excited phosphorescent paper with red laser/LED light, providing a visible demonstration of stimulated emission and potential for low-cost optical sensing.

• Recent literature and milestones shared: Science Translational Medicine paper on HIV/SIV coagulopathy driven by inflammatory monocytes; first single-contig nanopore assembly of the entire MHC region; and FDA approval of Novartis’ CAR-T therapy, marking the commercial debut of human gene modification.