Many biomedical experiments require a precisely timed real-time (RT) comput
er interface. Because commonly used desktop operating systems are inherentl
y non-real-time, real-time laboratory computer systems are often based on o
utdated DOS software or expensive proprietary real-time operating systems.
Here we discuss a real-lime computing system, based on the free RT-LINUX op
erating system, which we have developed for adaptive pacing control in a cl
inical cardiac electrophysiology laboratory. This powerful, flexible, and i
nexpensive system demonstrates that RT-LINUX is well suited for realtime bi
omedical experiment interface. (C) 1999 Biomedical Engineering Society. [S0
090-6964(99)02102-5].