Development of an Open-source Real-time Experiment Interface System

Joan And Sanford I. Weill Medical College Of Cornell University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this research project is to develop a general-purpose, open-source, real-time experiment interface software system. The need for real-time interface systems is ubiquitous in biological research (e.g., cardiac arrhythmia control, stochastic dynamic clamping, study of gene regulatory networks). However, current options have significant drawbacks: common multi-tasking operating systems such as Windows are inherently non-real-time and therefore require add-on hardware for real-time functionality; MS-DOS is out-dated; and the cost of proprietary real-time operating systems may be beyond the reach of many academic researchers. The system to be developed in this research project will circumvent such shortcomings by utilizing the open-source Real-Time Linux (RT-Linux) operating system. RT-Linux is fast and stable, and can guarantee the timing of a real-time process while concurrently serving as a standard multi-tasking workstation. The proposed software architecture will be designed to ensure that the resulting system will be applicable to a wide range of applications. Flexibility will be achieved through modular software design, flexible graphical layout generation, and hardware transparency. Sample systems, automated installation, comprehensive documentation, and a user/developer email list will streamline user implementation. Because the proposed system will be developed under (and must always carry) an open-source license, anyone will be free to download the source code, use it as is, or modify it for a particular application. Due to the open-exchange ethic of open-source software, it is most likely contributions from outside (volunteer) developers will enhance the proposed software - thus the system would reap the benefits of efforts above and beyond those directly supported through this award. Because of the many technical advantages of RT-Linux and the cost and flexibility advantages inherent to open-source, the proposed system has the potential to be an invaluable research tool in a wide range of research areas requiring real-time computation. This system has the potential to enhance undergraduate and graduate education, especially in classroom and laboratory settings where real-time analysis can permit the use of live rather than recorded experiments and demonstrations.