Pebble: A Component-based Operating System for Embedded Applications

Like desktop applications, complex embedded applications benefit from the support of an underlying operating system. However, the requirements of an embedded operating system differ considerably from those of a desktop operating system.

The Pebble operating system provides two features that we see as critical for complex embedded applications: (1) safe extensibility, so that the system can be constructed from untrusted components and reconfigured while running, and (2) low interrupt latency, which ensures that the system can react quickly to external events.

In this paper we discuss Pebble's architecture and the underlying technology used by Pebble, and include microbenchmark performance results that demonstrate that Pebble is a good platform for complex embedded applications.