# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Log (April 3, 2015)

* PID.codes was shared as a resource for open-source USB hardware, which provides USB vendor IDs for open hardware projects, circumventing the USB-IF's licensing restrictions that prohibit transfers or subassignments of vendor IDs.

* A paper on unpowered exoskeletons was discussed, highlighting research from Carnegie Mellon University on reducing the energy cost of human walking using passive mechanical devices.

* Various bioreactor systems for producing recombinant proteins were examined, including transgenic milk production (requiring 5,400 cows to produce 100,000 kg of human serum albumin annually), egg white systems, and more exotic options like snail venom milking.

* Cone snails were discussed as valuable natural resources for drug discovery, with their venom containing an estimated 75,000+ bioactive peptides, some of which have received FDA approval as pharmaceuticals.

* Optical equipment discussions included references to metallurgical microscopes, optical mounts from Thorlabs, and a Kickstarter project for edible optics.

* A discussion on space habitats and infrastructure touched on the mission to build physical (satellites & drones), virtual (spacecraft & operations software), and financial infrastructure to enable space settlement.