taiControlled

taiControlled is an open-source software framework designed to model, deploy, and manage control logic for embedded devices and automation systems. It provides a runtime environment, a component model, and a rule-based engine that allows developers to describe controllers, sensors, and actuators as reusable building blocks.

Developed by the Tai Innovations Lab as an open-source project in 2020, taiControlled aims to unify development across heterogeneous hardware. It supports cross-platform execution on Linux-based devices and edge hardware, emphasizing portability, modularity, and interoperability.

The core of taiControlled consists of a runtime kernel, a plugin-based device adapter layer, and a high-level policy engine. Components communicate over a message bus using protocols such as MQTT, REST, and WebSocket. The framework offers type-safe components, dependency injection, and a simulation mode for testing, enabling developers to validate behavior without real hardware. It also includes a built-in state machine and event-driven workflow, along with telemetry collection for monitoring and debugging.

Security and reliability features include access control, TLS-secured communication, audit logging, and config-change rollback. It provides validation of controller graphs to prevent unsafe actions. The system is not a real-time operating system; latency depends on host hardware and network conditions, which users should consider for time-critical applications.

Typical use cases include home automation, industrial pilots, robotics projects, and research. The project maintains documentation and a contributor community, with governance designed to encourage interoperability and community-driven extensions.

taiControlled is released under the MIT license and competes with other automation platforms such as Node-RED, ROS-based tools, and commercial control systems. Its modularity and portability appeal to projects needing cross-vendor integration.