HARTIK: a hard real-time kernel for programming robot tasks with explicit time constraints and guaranteed execution

The characteristics of HARTIK, a hard real-time kernel capable of managing concurrent activities with explicit time constraints under guaranteed execution are described. This kernel is designed to extend the C language with a set of library functions, which allow easy modification of a sequential C program into a set of concurrent processes that can be executed with specified time constraints, such as periods and deadlines. The capability of guaranteeing the execution of time critical tasks, and the possibility of taking alternative actions if a time critical task cannot be completed within its deadline, represent two aspects of the kernel. These are of crucial importance for developing reliable real-time control applications. An effort is made to provide tools for realizing time-bounded programs and real-time tracer, which records all context switches that occur in the system evolution. HARTIK is being used as a platform for programming reliable real-time tasks in robotics applications