>Not sure what 4-year cycle you're talking about.
I observe many groups solving platform design issues also eventually move on to other projects or careers. The dozens of documented fools-errands from Academic literature and Commercial sectors are eventually lost again each time. There are various institutional structural reasons this occurs, but the outcome is usually the same.
One must accept many problems are not purely technical in nature, and unfortunately complex Mechatronics often tend to exhibit sustainability problems.
>I'm not sure how you ended up here.
Don't worry about it... =3