Otto smiles gratefully, reaching out to take the stool with an actuator and setting it down to sit on.

"Makes complete sense," he agrees, grinning. He's not unfamiliar with working under NDAs, but he's also not unfamiliar with stretching the edges of them to chat with his friends. The reactor was his project, he'd always thought; he'd discuss it with whoever he liked.

He leans forward to inspect the glowing diagram, one actuator hanging above his right shoulder to look as well. "Yes, you'd be pushing the limits of copper interconnects, at this size. Once you start layering in this many transistors, they just don't handle that level of heat well. It's the easiest and most affordable option, but it is risky."

At least these wouldn't be quite so integrated with the patient as Otto's own implants. Still, he’s particularly sensitive to the use of microchips in medical settings, these days. "I've done some work using carbon nanotubes instead," he continues. "They do wonders, but they're hard to work with, and that was just me - not exactly mass production."