Making Android Run on Time

Time predictability is difficult to achieve in the complex, layered execution environments that are common in modern embedded devices. We consider the possibility of adopting the Android programming model for a range of embedded applications that extends beyond mobile devices, under the constraint that changes to widely used libraries should be minimized. The challenges we explore include: the interplay between real-time activities and the rest of the system, how to express the timeliness requirements of components, and how well those requirements can be met on stock embedded platforms. We report on the design and implementation of an Android virtual machine with soft-real-time support, and provides experimental data validating feasibility over three case studies.