# Key Points from Transhumanist IRC Discussion

• Participants explored alternative computing mechanisms including mechanical approaches (Merkle gates, rod logic, cam logic), historical memory technologies (core memory vs. tube storage), and newer concepts like resistive RAM, with detailed technical comparisons of their efficiency and operational characteristics.

• The group discussed advanced ultrasound technologies, sharing resources like TI's Medical Imaging Demo Application Starter (MIDAS) and exploring applications such as VR haptic feedback using focused ultrasound beams, with some proposing ultrasonic tweezers to stimulate semicircular canals as an alternative to Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation.

• Microfluidics technology was examined, including punchcard microfluidics control and glass deflection valves, alongside discussions of piezoelectric transducer arrays (particularly annular arrays and 2D grid configurations) and the challenges of wiring and addressing individual elements.

• The NIST RoboCrane platform was analyzed as an innovative Stewart Platform parallel link manipulator using cables as links and winches as actuators, with potential applications including a lunar rover concept based on a deployable 6-point gantry.

• Participants shared and discussed scientific papers on topics including mutation rate plasticity in rifampicin resistance, using liquid metal as a connecting channel for transected sciatic nerve recovery, and flexible two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array design.

• The conversation included philosophical debates about VR interfaces, with some arguing that 3D spatial orientation via stereo cues and head tracking is more important than tactile feedback, while others contended that tactile interfaces have been historically undervalued due to technical limitations.