pib V2024 roadmap and strategy

Owned by Jürgen Baier
Dec 13, 2023
4 min read

Currently, pib has a stable release named V2023, and its time to embark on a journey to create a better version. Standard industry goals are stated with explaining questions, tasks relating to each goal is stated clearly and will be added as epic links to be split to smaller tickets. Goals are added as labels to easily filter epics in board or timeline.

Standard Goals:

Precision: Is pib able to do a function exactly as instructed without deviation?

  1. Implementation of control algorithms to have precise motion

  2. Improve hand grip and increase range of motion (Add third finger joint)

  3. Analyze wrist joint and improve it

  4. Add soft tips for fingers to allow better grip and add feedback sensors in the tips to improve handling

Repeatability: Is pib able to do the same function with the same results and without deviating, breaking or malfunctioning after a few times

  1. Automated calibration to improve motion repeatability

  2. Implement continues tests to understand status quo by measuring KPIs included in confluence page https://pib-rocks.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PM/pages/47218689

  3. Change motors in shoulder to improve performance and durability

  4. Explore changing motors to more precise servo motors

Ability: Is pib able to do functions designated normally to a humanoid robot? Does it have the necessary strength and rigidity to do so?

  1. Create lower body for pib that is able to move with speeds up to 5.5 km/h and can navigate around and on top of small obstacles (chain drive) PR-341: Creation of a mobile lower bodyBacklog

  2. Improve pib stiffness by reducing empty spaces, implementing designs that act as dampers

  3. Reduce collisions in upper body

  4. Use nonprintable parts to reinforce structurally week parts that can’t be strengthened with geometrical improvements or print enhancements

  5. Use batteries instead of wired power supply

Intelligence: Is pib smart as a humanoid robot, has features that allow artificial awareness of environment and self?

  1. Implementation of mapping and localization techniques to allow pib to have self-awareness (SLAM-Rtab)

  2. Ability to do self-diagnostic check for errors using sensors, this should be an epic

  3. Motor safety algorithms to stop motion if a motor is stalled or has absurdly high current consumption

  4. Safety for users

  •  Implement safety protocols to prevent collisions with objects or users

  •  Limit torque and speed according to application and user group (maker or student)

pib specific goals

Usability: Is pib as a product easily controlled, assembled and maintained?

  1. Reduce number of printed parts by removing unnecessary parts and utilizing print helpers more to allow combining parts that would need supports

  2. Reduce number of screws by removing unnecessary ones and replace necessary ones with snap fits if possible

  3. Provide printed parts in online shop for people without printers

  4. Improve assembly experience

  5. Improve voice assistant

  • Add history to voice assistant

  • Voice assistant is interruptible

  • Streaming voice assistant

  • Summarize history to voice assistant

Interest: Is pib interesting enough to targeted customer segment? Is it interactive and allows rolling new features to maintain interest?

  1. Improve pib educating capabilities to allow it to assist teachers

  • Integrated projector in pib to allow showing education materials, improve communication and development directly on pib

  • Integrated laser pointer to improve pib teaching skill and playing with a pet

  • pib is able to draw on a board by using a marker

  1. Improve pib aesthetics

  • Improve upper body shape

  • Explore transparent filament with LEDs integrated inside pib

  • Change fluorocarbon strings to smaller diameter/more strength strings to allow usage of smaller Teflon tubes

  • Allow tubes to run outside of arms from the side instead of behind the arms

  • Decrease visibility of non-printable parts like springs by hiding them behind printed parts

  1. Interactivity

  • Improve face features on LCD

  • Add visual feedback for voice assistant

  • Moving pib through voice assistant

  1. Pib is able to play basic games

  • Chess

  • X/O

  • Rock/paper/scissors

  1. Improve community experience and collaboration

  • Online store for pib software features developed by users

  • Simple method to submit errors and problems

  • Sharing results to community in a continuous and timely manner

  • Recruit experienced community members to do sophisticated tasks

  1. Record motion and replay it

  2. Share screen/connect to other screens

 

Variations and other pib related products:

  1. pib standalone head

  • Same as pib’s head only difference is added stand including 1 servo bricklet and power supply.     

  1. Pib standalone arm

  • Controlled with laptop and TinkerForge master brick instead of raspberry pi and TinkerForge hat

  • Added stand to include power supply, servo scaffold and control electronics

  • Uses laptop camera with limited perception to do some entry level functions

  1. pib pro

  • Research phase

  1. Research printable legs

  2. Evaluate motor concepts

  3. Stronger wires to control fingers

  4. Explore IoT options

  5. Increase sensors

  6. Silicon skin

  7. Increase CPU power using clustering (explore TuringAi boards)

  8. Dielectric elastomer muscles

  9. Olive robotics edge ROS

  • Customer segment: Research platform for universities and research institutions

  • Other facts

  1. More resources and budget result in better materials and components

  2. Focus on standard goals more than pib specific goals

pib@cloud: similar to virtual twin but with added features to exactly simulate pib including voice assistant and LCD face reactions