docs: add Cognitum-style animated README visuals and linked capability cards

.github/workflows/readme-visuals.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+name: README visual asset validation
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - 'README.md'
+      - 'assets/readme/**'
+      - 'docs/readme-visual-system.md'
+      - 'scripts/*readme*'
+      - 'scripts/tests/test_readme_visuals_xml.py'
+      - '.github/workflows/readme-visuals.yml'
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - 'README.md'
+      - 'assets/readme/**'
+      - 'docs/readme-visual-system.md'
+      - 'scripts/*readme*'
+      - 'scripts/tests/test_readme_visuals_xml.py'
+      - '.github/workflows/readme-visuals.yml'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  verify:
+    name: Safe and reproducible README visuals
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11d5960a326750d5838078e36cf38b85af677262
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@ece7cb06caefa5fff74198d8649806c4678c61a1
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.11'
+      - name: Install visual tooling dependency
+        run: python -m pip install -r scripts/requirements-readme-visuals.txt
+      - name: Test XML input boundaries
+        run: python -m unittest discover -s scripts/tests -p test_readme_visuals_xml.py
+      - name: Verify reproducible and accessible assets
+        run: |
+          python scripts/render-readme-visuals.py
+          python scripts/verify-readme-visuals.py
+          git diff --exit-code -- assets/readme
+          test -z "$(git ls-files --others --exclude-standard -- assets/readme)"

README.md

@@ -1,11 +1,31 @@
 # π RuView
 
+[![RuView: spaces become signals, with an animated conceptual RF field](assets/readme/hero.svg)](docs/user-guide.md)
+
+<table>
+<tr>
+<td align="center" width="33%"><a href="docs/user-guide.md"><img src="assets/readme/nav-start.svg" width="180" alt="Start here" /></a><br/><a href="docs/user-guide.md">Start here</a></td>
+<td align="center" width="33%"><a href="firmware/esp32-csi-node/README.md"><img src="assets/readme/nav-hardware.svg" width="180" alt="Hardware" /></a><br/><a href="firmware/esp32-csi-node/README.md">Hardware</a></td>
+<td align="center" width="33%"><a href="https://huggingface.co/ruvnet/wifi-densepose-pretrained"><img src="assets/readme/nav-models.svg" width="180" alt="Models" /></a><br/><a href="https://huggingface.co/ruvnet/wifi-densepose-pretrained">Models</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td align="center" width="33%"><a href="harness/ruview/README.md"><img src="assets/readme/nav-agents.svg" width="180" alt="AI toolkit" /></a><br/><a href="harness/ruview/README.md">AI toolkit</a></td>
+<td align="center" width="33%"><a href="docs/integrations/home-assistant.md"><img src="assets/readme/nav-home.svg" width="180" alt="Smart home" /></a><br/><a href="docs/integrations/home-assistant.md">Smart home</a></td>
+<td align="center" width="33%"><a href="https://cognitum.one/seed"><img src="assets/readme/nav-seed.svg" width="180" alt="Cognitum Seed" /></a><br/><a href="https://cognitum.one/seed">Cognitum Seed</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+<details>
+<summary>Watch the original RuView sensing demo</summary>
+
 <p align="center">
   <a href="https://cognitum.one/seed">
     <img src="assets/ruview-hero-h3-v3.gif" alt="RuView - WiFi DensePose — animated visualization of real-time pose estimation, breathing, and heart-rate sensing through WiFi" width="100%">
   </a>
 </p>
 
+</details>
+
 <p align="center">
   <a href="https://ruos.cognitum.one">
     <img src="assets/ruos-animated.svg" alt="RuView — WiFi becomes spatial awareness, with Ruflo coordination and a ruOS sensing workspace" width="100%">
@@ -27,6 +47,8 @@ Works natively with the four major smart-home ecosystems: **[Home Assistant](doc
 
 Every WiFi router already fills your space with radio waves. When people move, breathe, or even sit still, they disturb those waves in measurable ways. RuView captures these disturbances using Channel State Information (CSI) from low-cost ESP32 sensors and turns them into actionable data: who's there, what they're doing, and whether they're okay.
 
+[![Explore RuView sensing, models and automation](assets/readme/header-features.svg)](docs/user-guide.md)
+
 **What it senses:**
 - **Presence and occupancy** — detect people through walls, count them, track entries and exits
 - **Vital signs** — breathing rate and heart rate, contactless, while sleeping or sitting
@@ -43,6 +65,22 @@ Every WiFi router already fills your space with radio waves. When people move, b
 - **Governed evidence** — attach privacy policy, uncertainty, provenance, and witness records to sensing events
 - **RuView MetaHarness** — use an AI operator to onboard, calibrate, train, verify, and check sensing claims
 
+<!-- ruview-capability-cards -->
+<table>
+<tr>
+<td width="50%"><a href="docs/user-guide.md"><img src="assets/readme/feature-presence.svg" width="580" alt="Presence and motion: open documentation and current limitations" /></a><br/><a href="docs/user-guide.md">Presence and motion</a></td>
+<td width="50%"><a href="v2/crates/wifi-densepose-signal/README.md"><img src="assets/readme/feature-vitals.svg" width="580" alt="Breathing and vital signals: open documentation and current limitations" /></a><br/><a href="v2/crates/wifi-densepose-signal/README.md">Breathing and vital signals</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td width="50%"><a href="docs/benchmarks/pose-estimation-cog.md"><img src="assets/readme/feature-pose.svg" width="580" alt="Pose research and limitations: open documentation and current limitations" /></a><br/><a href="docs/benchmarks/pose-estimation-cog.md">Pose research and limitations</a></td>
+<td width="50%"><a href="firmware/esp32-csi-node/README.md"><img src="assets/readme/feature-edge.svg" width="580" alt="Edge sensor mesh: open documentation and current limitations" /></a><br/><a href="firmware/esp32-csi-node/README.md">Edge sensor mesh</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td width="50%"><a href="docs/integrations/home-assistant.md"><img src="assets/readme/feature-automation.svg" width="580" alt="Local automation: open documentation and current limitations" /></a><br/><a href="docs/integrations/home-assistant.md">Local automation</a></td>
+<td width="50%"><a href="harness/ruview/README.md"><img src="assets/readme/feature-agents.svg" width="580" alt="Guided AI operator: open documentation and current limitations" /></a><br/><a href="harness/ruview/README.md">Guided AI operator</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
 <details>
 <summary><strong>RuView MetaHarness</strong> — guided operation for humans and AI agents</summary>
 
@@ -263,6 +301,8 @@ The separate **17-keypoint pose-estimation model** is now published at [`ruvnet/
 
 ### Results & proof
 
+[![RuView visual guide: header-evidence](assets/readme/header-evidence.svg)](docs/benchmarks/pose-estimation-cog.md)
+
 See the measured benchmarks, witness records, and one-command reproducibility check.
 
 <details>
@@ -317,6 +357,8 @@ number. The path to a first *reproducible* on-device baseline (PCK@20 ≥ 35%) i
 
 ## 🧩 Edge Module Catalog
 
+[![RuView visual guide: header-edge](assets/readme/header-edge.svg)](firmware/esp32-csi-node/README.md)
+
 Add signed modules for health, security, buildings, industry, research, AI, and more.
 
 <details>
@@ -491,6 +533,8 @@ Browse and install modules at [seed.cognitum.one/store](https://seed.cognitum.on
 
 ## 🔬 How It Works
 
+[![RuView visual guide: overview](assets/readme/overview.svg)](docs/user-guide.md)
+
 WiFi routers flood every room with radio waves. When a person moves — or even breathes — those waves scatter differently. WiFi DensePose reads that scattering pattern and reconstructs what happened:
 
 ```
@@ -615,6 +659,8 @@ These scenarios exploit WiFi's ability to penetrate solid materials — concrete
 
 ## 🧠 Self-Learning WiFi AI
 
+[![RuView visual guide: header-learning](assets/readme/header-learning.svg)](docs/user-guide.md)
+
 Learn compact room fingerprints from raw CSI and adapt the model to each environment.
 
 <details>
@@ -744,6 +790,8 @@ For the portable RuView MetaHarness, use `npx @ruvnet/ruview@0.9.1`. The quick c
 
 ## 📖 Documentation
 
+[![RuView visual guide: header-docs](assets/readme/header-docs.svg)](docs/user-guide.md)
+
 Start with the user, build, and calibration guides; expand for the full reference map.
 
 <details>
@@ -785,6 +833,8 @@ Start with the user, build, and calibration guides; expand for the full referenc
 >
 > Contributions and bug reports welcome at [Issues](https://github.com/ruvnet/RuView/issues).
 
+[![Cognitum One: Ambient Intelligence at the edge of the physical world](assets/readme/cognitum.svg)](https://cognitum.one)
+
 ## 📄 License
 
 MIT License — see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.