# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion (March 12, 2009)

• Cloud computing was discussed, with willPow3r mentioning his work with 3tera.com, a proprietary cloud computing platform that enables virtual servers to utilize hardware resources from multiple computers, allowing for instances with significant computing power (e.g., 20 CPUs, 80GB RAM).

• Several materials science and manufacturing topics were explored, including powder coating properties, surface wetting phenomena, and the Lotus effect, with discussion about how paint forms tunnels at molecular levels possibly due to surface energy constraints.

• Microfluidic technology was shared through papers, including "Pumpless, selective docking of yeast cells inside a microfluidic channel induced by receding meniscus" and "Using lateral capillary forces to compute by self-assembly" by Rothemund/Winfree.

• Miniature machining was a significant topic, with participants sharing resources about micro-factories, miniature lathes, and small-scale manufacturing tools that could potentially fit in a backpack, including links to examples at craftsmanshipmuseum.com.

• The group discussed OpenCASCADE, an open-source 3D modeling kernel, with kanzure attempting to understand its API and sharing installation instructions (http://heybryan.org/books/Manufacturing/pythonocc/linux.install.readme.txt) and a related sketcher tool (http://www.laduga.ru/software/occsketcher/).

• Robotics challenges were discussed, particularly the complexity of creating robots that can navigate human environments and perform seemingly simple tasks like retrieving a beer from a refrigerator, with references to past projects that attempted to address these challenges.