# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• A team is working to repurpose Emotiv EEG hardware by rewriting firmware for the PIC chip to access raw data that was deliberately restricted by the original developers, demonstrating the open-source community's efforts to unlock commercial neurotechnology.

• Participants discussed the Gada Prize ($20,000) for open source hardware development (http://www.foresight.org/gadaprize.php), with interest in forming collaborative teams to compete in this transhumanist-oriented competition.

• Water purification technologies for developing regions were critically examined, including the limitations of the LifeStraw (http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw.htm), which was criticized for becoming waste once clogged with mud, and debates about chlorination versus ozone treatment effectiveness against parasitic cysts.

• A controversial paper about cobalt-60 exposure in Taiwan (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2477708/) was discussed, which initially suggested reduced cancer rates in exposed populations, though participants noted that follow-up research invalidated these findings.

• The conversation touched on SEAgel (Synthetic Environment Aerogel) technology, a lightweight material developed through a program called "Mockingbird," showing interest in advanced materials research.

• Kanzure mentioned efforts to get OpenKollab to fund PinkArmy as an application of open source hardware, contrasting it with DNAtrix, which was described as a similar company but without the "open source fanboyism."

• MIT nanotechnology research was shared (http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/32765 and http://www.nanotech-now.com/MIT-release-09302003.htm), indicating ongoing interest in nanoscale engineering applications.