# Key Technical Discussions from #hplusroadmap Channel

• A team is developing SKDB, a system for automated engineering that includes collision detection, point cloud processing, and compatibility assessment of designs, with integration efforts focused on incorporating graphsynth Node class into assembly graph representations.

• Participants discussed Parametric Action Representation research for automatically generating service manuals and maintenance instructions for machines, noting that text instructions remain more useful than purely pictorial ones.

• DIY biology approaches were debated, with participants sharing practical knowledge about creating gel electrophoresis chambers from tupperware containers and discussing the financial accessibility of PCR (primers at $12 each, Taq polymerase at $100 for 200 reactions).

• A promising DIY DNA purification method using hot wax was shared as a potential alternative to traditional methods requiring centrifuges, addressing equipment barriers in amateur biology.

• The group explored augmented reality applications for laboratory work, proposing systems that could overlay protocol instructions on lab benches to guide procedures like pipetting.

• Participants critiqued modeling systems, noting that biological modeling presents greater challenges than mechanical or architectural modeling due to biological system complexity, while also criticizing UML and SysML as overly complex and rarely used effectively in industry.