Integrating embedded PC and Internet technologies for real-time control and imaging

The use of embedded personal computing (PC) technology allows desktop computer applications to evolve into the real-time control world. Such systems will be compact, reliable and low in cost. However, the mainstream PC platforms such as Windows NT have shortcomings concerning their real-time capabilities. The integration of embedded PC and Internet technologies make distributed real-time control a reality and eliminate the limitations of PC operating systems (OS). This paper discusses the general hardware, OS and software development tools for distributed, Internet-enabled, PC-based embedded control systems. A specific application of the approach is discussed, the development of a long-reach manipulator system for highway maintenance operations, which verifies the approach and illustrates its potential applicability.