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An open source first for embedded real-time systems
March 24, 2005
The first commercially available embedded real-time system built from open source components has been developed, opening the door to new critical and non-critical systems applications for industrial control and video surveillance to robotics and aerospace. The IST programme-funded project, which ends this month and which developed the system, has added new functionality to the Linux environment by providing the nucleus of an embedded real-time system that can incorporate different components to add features such as Quality of Service, fault tolerance and communications technologies.
"The system is highly flexible and scalable, and can easily be configured to meet the needs of programme developers by picking and choosing different components," says OCERA coordinator Alfons Crespo at the Technical University of Valencia in Spain. "The use of different components basically allows three different profiles of the system to be created."
The first profile, Crespo explains, would be for a critical system requiring a small and basic embedded application to provide real-time control. In this instance just the 'nucleus' of OCERA is used, providing stable stand-alone functionality but none of the additional features. The second profile is for a critical system where there are no constraints on the size of the application, allowing OCERA to be incorporated with Linux, and the third profile is for a non-critical system incorporating all of the above plus features such as Quality of Service and resource management.
"Whereas the first two are geared toward critical systems in say the aerospace, automobile or industrial control sectors, the latter is aimed more at non-critical systems, such as a multimedia platform," the coordinator notes.
All three profiles of the OCERA system were tested by the project, with the first employed in a small walking robot, the second for controlling industrial processes and the third for a video surveillance system developed by Visual Tools in Spain.
"It could be used in PDAs for security guards to allow them to view video images from cameras located around a building in real-time," Crespo says. "It could also be added to security systems in cars, or, as we demonstrated, for controlling robots - the possible application areas are extensive."
The OCERA components are also designed to be reusable, meaning that they can be employed in the context for which they were created or in other unrelated applications.
"I'd say interest in the project has been extensive, we've had probably around 700 or 800 downloads from our website and Sourceforge of the most popular components," Crespo notes.
The system has also been incorporated into industrial control systems developed by Czech company UniControls, which has replaced proprietary software with OCERA.
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Scientific Explorer's Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists
by Scientific Explorer
Mind blowing experiments to delight and educate young scientists! Erupt a color changing volcano. Mix up magic ooze with a mind of its own. Play with sand that never gets wet. Mix safe chemicals and watch colors change before your eyes. You'll amaze yourself and your friends as you explore the science behind these truly remarkable reactions.
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The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series)
by Tom Robinson (Author)
Science has never been so easy - or so much fun! With The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments. High school science teach Tom Robinson shows you how to expand your scientific horizons - from biology to chemistry to physics to outer space. You'll discover answers to questions like: Is it possible to blow up a balloon without actually blowing into it? What is inside coins? Can a magnet ever be "turned off"? Do toilets always flush in the same direction? Can a swimming pool be cleaned with just the breath of one person? Get ready to enter the laboratory and learn how to conduct cool experiments, understand scientific terms...
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Scientific Explorer's Disgusting Science - A Kit for Studying the Science of Revolting Things
by Scientific Explorer
Grow your own friendly germs and fuzzy molds. Mix up a batch of coagulating fake blood. Even make a stinky intestine. learn the science behind unmentionable bodily functions while doing some truly NASTY Experiments. Ages 8+
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Magic School Bus Journey into the Human Body Science Kit
by Young Scientist Club
The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle take Young Scientists on a wild ride into the human body with these breathtaking experiments. Young Scientists bend bones, make joints, map taste buds, expand lungs, build a stethoscope, measure lung capacities and heart rates, perform the iodine starch test, spin glitter, simulate synovial fluid, create a human body poster, and much, much more! This exciting kit includes a life-size poster with eight sheets of body part stickers. So put on your seat belts, students, and get ready to discover The Human Body!
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The Science Book: Everything You Need to Know About the World and How It Works (National Geographic)
by National Geographic (Author), Marshall Brain (Foreword)
A delight for the casual reader, yet so complete and wide-ranging that science buffs and students will welcome it, The Science Book encapsulates centuries of scientific thought in one richly illustrated volume. Natural phenomena, revolutionary inventions, and the most up-to-date investigations are explained in detailed text, and 2,000 vivid illustrationsincluding 3-D graphics and pictogramsmake the information even more accessible and amazing to discover.
The Science Book offers both a general overview of topics for the browsing reader and more specific information for those seeking deeper insight into a particular subject. Six major sections, ranging from the universe and planet Earth to biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, encompass everything from microscopic life...
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Scientific Explorer's The Magic Science Wizard's Kit
by Scientific Explorer
Cast real smoke from your fingertips, make a wizard wand, and whip up color-changing potions in your test tube laboratory. Also included are laminated cards with wizard facts, an instruction booklet with 11 activities, lab equipment, and mysterious wizard powders that will mix together to mystify you!
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Science: The Definitive Visual Guide
by Adam Hart-Davis (Author)
This remarkable reference book tells the story of science from earliest times to the present day, taking in everything from ancient Greek geometry to quantum physics, and the wedge to the worldwide web. Exploring science in a thematic, highly approachable manner, each spread takes as its theme a specific event, discovery, invention, experiment, theory, or individual and explains why this subject was so significant in the development of scientific thought and what its impact on history has been. In addition to providing a broad-ranging and comprehensive history of science, the book also explains how science works, employing DK's trademark clarity and visual ingenuity to render tricky scientific subjects easily comprehensible.
Science is structured chronologically with five...
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Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100
by Elenco Electronics Inc
Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products Winner We venture even Edison would be intrigued. Prepare to engineer 101 exciting, useful electronic gadgets & play lively electronic games with Snap Circuits Jr! This kit features a great collection of materials! The colorful and easy-to-follow format of the instruction manual makes circuit assembly stress-free and fun. All projects are simple to build and understand. Perfect for the novice engineer. All parts are mounted on plastic modules and snap together with ease. Leave the tools in the garage; everything you need for your electronics learning adventure is included. With Snap Circuits Jr. your understanding of electronics is a SNAP! 101 High Interest Projects Just a few: Flying Saucer, Music Alarm Combo, Pencil Alarm, Space...
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Scientific Explorer's Spa Science Chemistry Kit
by Scientific Explorer
Whip your bath into a frothy fizzing sea of color and fragrance. Make colorful, fragrant bath gels, bath fizzers, spa lotion, bath balm, a face mask, and shampoo. Mix colors and fragrances to creat your own product line with secret and exclusive mixtures. Explore the science of gels, fragrance and fizzers.
Mixing fragrances in the bathtub is a delight for both girls and boys. It’s one of the best ways to introduce them to the fun of science. Kids will spend hours in the tub with this kit mixing ingredients to make foaming frothing baths and smelling potions and conducting science experiments to see how scents affect our alertness, moods and memories. Comparing the responses of siblings, parents and friends makes this a shared adventure the entire family will enjoy
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The Complete Book of Science, Grades 5-6
by School Specialty Publishing (Author)
The Complete Book of Science for grades 5 to 6 teaches children important science skills! Children complete a variety of exercises that help them develop a number of skills in this 352 page workbook. Including a complete answer key this workbook features a user-friendly format perfect for browsing, research, and review. Over 4 million in print! The best-selling Complete Book series offers a full complement of instruction, activities, and information about a single topic or subject area. Containing over 30 titles and encompassing preschool to grade 8 this series helps children succeed in every subject area! ...
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