Before reading this section, please do a quick search using these keywords: “Realtime Embedded Systems”, “What is determinism in operating systems”, “Realtime operating systems”, “IOT projects”
Example resources:
  1. Real-time Application of Embedded Systems Projects
  2. Example of Embedded Systems
  3. Example of IoT Projects
  4. Linux PREEMPT_RT: Transforming General Purpose OS to Real-Time Platform
Imagine you’re working on a robotic arm for factory automation. On a moving production line, products of different colors pass by, and your system detects these products using cameras and sensors on the robotic arm, then sorts them into different boxes based on color. What would be the impact if your robotic arm responded 1 second late when detecting a red product? For unmanned vehicles especially, it’s crucial that the system boots quickly after powering on the Gemstone board and that your applications respond and take action within expected timeframes. When developing such embedded projects for drone applications, low-footprint, deterministic, real-time operating systems are typically used. For example, the PX4 flight controller uses Apache NuttX OS, while other systems often prefer operating systems like FreeRTOS. The Linux kernel also has real-time capabilities like Tübitak GzIS, NuttX, FreeRTOS, vxWorks, and Zephyr. Unlike these systems, Linux offers the significant advantage of supporting hundreds of open-source projects. (See example article here) The Gemstone Minimal image is optimized for fast boot times and deterministic behavior. It does not include a desktop environment or graphical interface - only the essential packages and drivers required for system operation are installed. This optimization reduces the image size, enables faster boot times, and allows more efficient use of system resources.

Todo: Selecting minimal image in Gemstone Imager application

  1. Contains all hardware drivers like other images - serial ports, CANBUS, Ethernet etc. are fully supported
  2. Ideal for projects without graphical requirements like IoT, unmanned vehicles, and automation systems