pib V5 roadmap and strategy

pib has three stable releases, V2/V2023, V3/2024, V4 and now it's time to enhance and innovate further with the V5 release. The primary focus will be on introducing pib serial, an advanced variant aimed at research institutions and universities, providing superior capabilities and performance while maintaining affordability through open-source collaboration and in-house innovation.

Key Focus Areas

The roadmap focuses on two primary development tracks:

Improvements to the core pib platform (minor updates).
Development of pib serial– A high-performance version of pib with advanced features and components.

Development Goals for V5

1. Core pib Enhancements

Minor improvements will be made to the existing pib model to refine its usability, aesthetics, and interactivity. Some goals include:

Joint mechanics:
- Hand redesign
  o   Multilumen cable
  o   Kevlar wires
  o   Screws instead of pins
  o   3 joints
  o   Multi touch feedback
  o   Palm grasp friendly design
- Redesign 1 DOF wrist joint for better mobility and durability
- Central-Rotator
  - Teeth should be added to central rotator connectors just like in other joints to reduce possible wear (this will be added in v4.0.3)
  - Add a second metal-ring (M07) to the axial bearing to reduce friction. Just like in the pib #4S (suggestion from Scent)

Servo array improvements:
- Wire connector for servo arrays is improved to be less prone to breaking
- Servo Array redesign/reposition to be easily maintainable in pib
- No cables attached to doors, rewire to make pib clean

Assembly and Durability:
- Head enclosure to cover head opening.
Electronics
- Use one power supply instead of 2 while still providing enough power to all peripherals - solution is presented in https://pib-rocks.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/kb/pages/637403145
- Include Projector in the back side of pib
- Add new power switch to new power supply solution

2. pib Serial Development

pib serial is an advanced variant of the core pib platform, designed to meet the needs of universities and research institutions with enhanced precision, performance, and capabilities.

Target Audience: Universities, research institutions, and advanced robotics labs.
Development Status: The first beta version, currently deployed at the University of Nuremberg, serves as first version for pib serial. The Pib V4 serial version is already designed and sold to some universities like Simon Ohm university

Upgrades from core version:

Motors:
- Feetech serial servo motors.

Software Ideas

Software is not released periodically with each version but here are the changes that are important to be in pib V5

Error software
- Warnings at high current
- Zero position at dangerously high current or shut down relay
- Motor failed message when current is 32A
Demos menu in Cerebra for imitation script and similar
Move end effector in space with kinematics in cerebra with a virtual joy stick

Roadmap Timeline

The goals outlined in this roadmap will be broken down into individual epics and tasks to be added to the project management board. Each goal will be tagged with appropriate labels (serial/edu) for easy tracking and filtering on the timeline.