# Key Technical and Conceptual Points from #hplusroadmap Discussions

• Participants explored sensory substitution technologies including Senseg (electrostatic haptics), BrainPort (tongue-based visual interface), and cochlear implants, with firsthand accounts describing the adaptation process where the brain normalizes unusual sensory input within approximately three weeks.

• A DIY neural recording project was discussed using ADS119x chips from TI, with participants sharing affordable approaches to creating electrode arrays by bundling fine insulated wires (as small as 25μm) as alternatives to commercial options like the Utah array, which can cost up to $75,000 for complete systems.

• Kanzure described developing a microfluidic DNA synthesizer targeting a sub-$5,000 cost using a library method of 6-mers (4,096 possible combinations) that can be stitched together, demonstrating the community's focus on democratizing biotechnology tools.

• Researchers shared information about mRNA display techniques for directed evolution that can screen libraries of up to 10^12 individual tagged proteins, alongside discussion of interactive evolutionary computation to improve cochlear implant performance.

• The group discussed Henry Markram's €1 billion Human Brain Project and competing FET Flagship initiatives, revealing the community's engagement with large-scale neuroscience research efforts.

• Participants shared reverse engineering methodologies focused on writing new source code that compiles to match original binaries rather than relying on direct disassembly, with a highly commented Pokemon Red disassembly shared as a practical example.

• A repository of scientific papers organized by topic (http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/) was shared as a community resource, highlighting the collaborative nature of open-source transhumanist research.