# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussions

• Open-source laboratory management tools were shared, including GitHub repositories "geartracker" and "chemventory," aimed at helping DIY labs and biohackers track equipment and chemicals more effectively.

• The community identified critical DIY scientific equipment needs, specifically highlighting DNA synthesizers, DNA detectors, spectrometers, ultracentrifuges, and liquid handling machines as priority tools for biohackers to develop.

• Participants discussed microfluidics training resources and apprenticeship opportunities, indicating growing interest in democratizing this technology for DIY biology applications.

• Several low-cost DIY lab equipment projects were shared, including a 25-cent I2C adapter and a prototype liquid handling machine, demonstrating the community's focus on creating affordable alternatives to expensive commercial lab equipment.

• A prototype for a simple decentralized Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was mentioned, reflecting ongoing efforts to create open-source software for scientific data management.

• Web security challenges were being tackled collaboratively, with participants working through different programming languages and attempting to exploit vulnerabilities, showing the technical depth of the community.

• Discussions revealed a strong preference for truly open platforms over commercial options like genomecompiler.com, which was criticized for using Adobe Air rather than open-source technologies.