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AxonOS

A real-time Rust microkernel for safety-critical BCI. Deterministic EDF scheduling · Zero-copy signal path · Hardware-gated stimulation interlock.
AxonOS — open cognitive operating system for brain–computer interfaces

AxonOS

The open cognitive operating system for brain–computer interfaces.


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Standard Kernel SDK Consent Rust License Verified


axonos.org  ·  Specifications  ·  SDK  ·  Research  ·  Articles  ·  connect@axonos.org


What AxonOS is

AxonOS is a hard real-time neural operating system for brain–computer interfaces. Open-source kernel in #![no_std] Rust on ARM Cortex-M. Formally bounded worst-case response time. Structural privacy that the application layer cannot bypass.

It is not an AI-agent framework, not a chatbot runtime, not a generic Python SDK, and not a token project. Everything below the application — the timing guarantees, the neural-permission model, the consent state machine — is specified, openly licensed, and built to be independently verified.

Applications should receive typed, consent-bound intent events — never unrestricted raw neural streams.


The four commitments

Commitment What it means in practice
1 Hard real-time on commodity hardware #![no_std] Rust on ARMv8-M. No GC, no allocator on the hot path, no unbounded panics. Memory safety is structural.
2 Formally bounded WCRT Every critical-path operation has a Kani-verified upper bound. Latency is proven, not benchmarked.
3 Structural privacy Capabilities that would leak raw cognitive state (RawEEG, EmotionState, CognitiveProfile) do not exist as types.
4 Open ecosystem Apache-2.0 OR MIT for code, CC-BY-SA-4.0 for specifications. Every repository is public. Anyone can audit, fork, or replace any layer.

Where to begin

Three honest paths, depending on what you want.

If you want to … Start here
A Get the idea in two minutes Concept video · 3-page engineering memo
B Read the engineering before judging axonos-standard/STANDARD.md · axonos-rfcs
C Build against the substrate axonos-sdk · SDK overview

The stack

Every repository is public. Source under Apache-2.0 OR MIT, specifications under CC-BY-SA-4.0. There are no private repositories. Each repository has one role.

Repository Role Language Latest
axonos-standard Normative architecture — the canonical technical standard Markdown v1.0.0
axonos-rfcs Design-change process — numbered engineering RFCs, normative once finalised Markdown active
axonos-kernel Execution substrate — hard real-time microkernel, formally bounded WCRT Rust v0.3.0
axonos-sdk Application boundary — typed intents, capability manifests, kernel ABI v1 Rust v0.3.5
axonos-consent Consent / co-authorisation subsystem — #![no_std] reference crate Rust v0.5.0
axonos-validation Evidence and trace record — measurement traces and reference post-processing Python record
axon-bci-gateway Acquisition bridge — OpenBCI fork, MIT preserved from upstream HTML active
axonos-swarm Long-horizon distributed timing — multi-node Neural PTP coordination Rust v0.2.1
AxonOS Public entry point — landing, concept, and links into the stack

A dedicated wire / conformance repository (axonos-protocol) is not yet public; the wire format and conformance suite are currently specified within axonos-standard and axonos-rfcs.


Architecture

flowchart LR
    A[EEG/EMG sensors<br/>ADS1299 · 24-bit] -->|raw| B[Acquisition gateway<br/>nRF52840]
    B -->|filtered| C[AxonOS kernel<br/>Rust no_std<br/>Cortex-M4F]
    C -->|WCRT 972µs| D[Cognitive scheduler]
    D -->|typed intent| E[Application<br/>via SDK]
    F[Cognitive Hypervisor<br/>TrustZone-S] -.->|isolates| C
    G[Consent FSM<br/>axonos-consent] -.->|gates| D

    classDef kernel fill:#0a4a8f,stroke:#0a4a8f,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
    classDef secure fill:#0d7a5f,stroke:#0d7a5f,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px
    class C kernel
    class F,G secure
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Every arrow is a contract. The Standard defines what must hold at each boundary; an implementation is free in everything else.


By the numbers


972 µs

Kernel WCRT, measured
STM32F407 @ 168 MHz

2.1 µs

Worst-case jitter σ
vs Linux 1323 µs

630×

Improvement factor
over Linux mainline

30

Kani BMC harnesses
upper bounds proven

0

Lines of unsafe code
forbidden crate-wide

42+

Long-form architecture
articles on Medium

Each number is traceable to a repository. The evidence taxonomy — L1 formally proven, L2 measured, L3 independently validated — is defined in VALIDATION.md. The public stack currently holds L1 and L2 evidence; L3 is not yet claimed.


Quick start

git clone https://github.com/AxonOS-org/axonos-sdk
cd axonos-sdk
cargo test --features std
use axonos_sdk::{Capability, IntentStream, Manifest};

let manifest = Manifest::builder()
    .app_id("com.example.cursor")?
    .capability(Capability::Navigation)
    .max_rate_hz(50)
    .build()?;

let mut stream = IntentStream::connect(&manifest)?;
while let Some(obs) = stream.try_next()? {
    println!("{:?} @ {} µs ({}%)",
        obs.kind(),
        obs.timestamp().as_micros(),
        obs.confidence_percent());
}

The SDK is the Rust reference binding. C FFI, Python, WebAssembly, JNI, and Swift bindings are on the published roadmap.


Status

Phase What When
Phase 0 Architecture, RFCs, SDK API surface, kernel verification harnesses Complete
Phase 1 Clinical-grade 8-channel development kit · ALS centre pilot Q2 2026
Phase 2 FDA 510(k) Q-Sub for the Cognitive Hypervisor · IEEE P2731 contribution Q3 2026
Phase 3 First commercial deployment via Foundation members 2027

What AxonOS does not claim

AxonOS does not currently claim, and this organisation must not be read as claiming:

  • FDA clearance, CE marking, or medical-device approval in any jurisdiction;
  • clinical efficacy, or independent clinical validation;
  • certified medical-device status, or production-implant readiness;
  • complete compliance with IEC 62304, ISO 14971, or ISO 13485.

These are possible future milestones. They are not present facts, and the project records them as such.


Documentation


Contributing

Path Where
Bugs and feature requests the relevant repository's Issues tab
Specification proposals pull request to axonos-rfcs
Code contributions axonos-sdk/CONTRIBUTING.md
Security disclosures security@axonos.org · 90-day coordinated disclosure
Clinical partnerships connect@axonos.org
General correspondence connect@axonos.org

Licensing

Artefact License
Kernel, SDK, consent, swarm, gateway Apache-2.0 OR MIT
RFCs and specifications CC-BY-SA-4.0
axon-bci-gateway MIT (preserved from upstream OpenBCI_GUI)



AxonOS logo

The AxonOS Project

axonos.org  ·  connect@axonos.org  ·  LinkedIn  ·  Medium

Singapore · Zurich · Berlin · Milano · San Mateo


Built with Rust. Verified with Kani. Aimed at hard real-time.

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  1. axonos-rfcs axonos-rfcs Public

    Proposals, design documents, and architectural decisions for the AxonOS project.

    1

  2. axonos-kernel axonos-kernel Public

    Hard real-time Rust microkernel for brain-computer interfaces. #![no_std] on Cortex-M, EDF scheduling with Kani-verified WCRT bounds, zero-copy intent path, capability-based privacy by construction…

    Rust 2

  3. axonos-sdk axonos-sdk Public

    Rust SDK for building applications on AxonOS — a real-time operating system for brain-computer interfaces. Provides intent APIs, capability-based permissions, and deterministic execution.

    Rust 2

  4. axonos-standard axonos-standard Public

    Canonical technical standard and architecture manual for AxonOS: deterministic BCI software, neural permissions, consent, validation, and governance.

    1

  5. axonos-consent axonos-consent Public

    Protocol-level consent enforcement for AxonOS.

    Rust 2

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