Creating an Arduino Operating System

Abstract

An operating system is a set of software that manages a computer’s resources and enables it to run application software. This project examines the possibility of deploying an interactive operating system with dynamic program loading in a microcontroller-based computing environment. A microcontroller is a low-power computer consisting of its principal components integrated onto a single chip. It is generally used in applications that require only a limited amount of computing power, such as thermostats and dishwashers. Existing real-time operating systems for microcontroller platforms can only run a small, predetermined set of applications and provide no standard user interface. For this project, a system firmware and bespoke operating system are developed and deployed onto an Arduino microcontroller board. The firmware loads and starts the operating system. Then, the operating system can load and execute application programs, and provides a user interface. We demonstrate that an operating system of this sort can be deployed even in an environment that is limited both physically and in terms of software. Such an operating environment can ease development of microcontroller applications for software developers accustomed to desktop operating systems, and can enable novel applications for microcontrollers that would traditionally be facilitated with an operating system, such as internet-connected appliances. It can also provide an affordable toolkit for studying operating system design and computer hardware.