# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussions

• Participants discussed microfluidics extensively, including development of a Python package for SKDB that renders to SVG for laser cutters, techniques for creating homemade microfluidic devices, and applications in DNA sequencing, synthesis, and single-cell manipulation using water-in-oil emulsion droplets.

• Brain-computer interface technologies were explored, including potential BCI X-Prize competitions, EEG headsets for focusing attention in multi-monitor setups, and distinctions between input/output versus read/write interfaces for brain technology.

• DIY biotechnology was a recurring theme, with discussions about DNA synthesizers, microarrays, aptamer arrays for metabolite detection, and a novel PCR technique using laser-heated reactions in nanoliter droplet arrays capable of completing 40 amplification cycles in approximately 6 minutes.

• Open hardware and manufacturing projects were shared, including the Hyrban open-source hydrogen car with downloadable CAD models, the OpenPario project for managing open hardware development, and DARPA's initiative to make manufacturing operate more like the semiconductor industry.

• Software development challenges were addressed, particularly around SKDB (Sketchup Database), with debates about interface naming conventions, data schema design for complex objects, and integration with OpenCascade for 3D modeling capabilities.

• Cognitive enhancement was discussed through both technological means (EEG training) and pharmacological approaches (modafinil, adrafinil, and adderall), including mentions of modafinil patents expiring in 2011 and the challenges of pharmaceutical manufacturing regulations.

• Alternative computing paradigms were explored, including mechanical computation history (Babbage's difference engine), analog computing mechanisms in naval fire control systems, and "aquacore" instruction set architecture for microfluidics-based computing.