Real-Time Operating System

An operating system that guarantees execution of tasks within specified time deadlines. RTOS kernels (RT-PREEMPT Linux, FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks) prioritize deterministic scheduling over maximum throughput. In robots, RTOSes run closed-loop servo controllers at 1 kHz with bounded jitter (<10μs), while the non-real-time OS layer handles higher-level planning.