v0.1.6 · Python Backend Activated · 2026-07-12

PsychoPy
for HarmonyOS

Easy enough for teaching, precise enough for psychophysics, flexible enough for everything else — now native on HarmonyOS.

Sub-millisecond timing, OpenGL ES 3.2 rendering, full Python runtime, distributed multi-device sync — packaged as a native HAP.

Get Started View v0.1.6
v0.1.6
Release
HAP
Package
MIT
License
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HarmonyOS 5.0+/Electron 28/Python 3.11/OpenGL ES 3.2/ArkUI Native/HAP Packaging/psychopy.visual/psychopy.core/psychopy.data/ioHub/Tobii Pro 5/BrainProducts/Sub-millisecond Timing/
HarmonyOS 5.0+/Electron 28/Python 3.11/OpenGL ES 3.2/ArkUI Native/HAP Packaging/psychopy.visual/psychopy.core/psychopy.data/ioHub/Tobii Pro 5/BrainProducts/Sub-millisecond Timing/
01 / ABOUT

A scientific instrument,
not just a port.

PsychoPy-OH is a faithful reimplementation of the PsychoPy toolkit for HarmonyOS. It preserves the API surface that researchers around the world rely on, while integrating with the distributed capabilities of OHOS.

Built for reproducibility

Every stimulus parameter is logged. Every trial timestamp is recorded to microsecond precision. The experiment you design on your laptop is the experiment that runs on a fleet of OHOS tablets — bit-for-bit, frame-for-frame.

Native HarmonyOS citizen

Packaged as a HAP, signed with HarmonyOS developer certificates, distributable through AppGallery. Uses ArkUI for chrome and Electron for the Python runtime.

Timing you can publish

Frame-locked presentation on OHOS displays, vsync-accurate flips, and a real-time priority path for time-critical loops.

Open source, community-first

Apache 2.0 (template) + GPLv3 (PsychoPy upstream), hosted on GitCode and GitHub. The v0.1.3 debug record (2026-06-25) is openly documented.

02 / FEATURES

Everything you expect
from PsychoPy.

A complete psychophysics toolkit, with the additional superpowers of a distributed operating system.

Full API Parity

visual, core, data, event, gui, hardware, sound, logging — every submodule, every class, every method.

Sub-millisecond Timing

Vsync-locked flips, real-time priority threads, and a frame-interval monitor. Trigger jitter <1ms — critical for ERP research.

OpenGL ES 3.2

GPU-accelerated shaders for gratings, gabors, drifting stimuli, and dynamic masks — at 120Hz on supported displays.

Python Scripting

Embedded CPython 3.11 runtime. Run existing .py experiment scripts unchanged.

HAP Distribution

Package experiments as HarmonyOS Ability Packages. Install on tablets, phones, headunits.

Builder & Coder

The drag-and-drop Builder interface for non-programmers, and the full Coder IDE for power users — both ported.

Distributed Sync

Run synchronized stimuli across multiple OHOS devices via DDS. Perfect for dual-subject paradigms or classroom cohort studies.

ioHub Integration

Eye trackers (Tobii Pro 5, Eyelink), EEG triggers (BrainProducts via USB-HID), MRI pulses, joysticks — with OHOS-native drivers.

03 / LIVE DEMO

Interactive experiments,
running in your browser.

Four canonical paradigms from cognitive neuroscience and psycholinguistics — the same primitives that power PsychoPy-OH on HarmonyOS.

Gabor Patch

The fundamental stimulus of vision science. A sinusoidal grating windowed by a Gaussian envelope — used in thousands of contrast sensitivity, orientation discrimination, and attention studies.

Spatial Frequency0.050
Orientation45°
Contrast0.80
Envelope σ60
Phase0.00
gabor_stim.py
60 fps
# PsychoPy-OH: Gabor stimulus with GPU shader from psychopy import visual, core win = visual.Window(size=[1920, 1080], fullscr=True) gabor = visual.GratingStim(win, tex='sin', mask='gauss', sf=5, ori=45, size=200, contrast=0.8) while True: gabor.phase += 0.125 gabor.draw(); win.flip()

Masked Priming

A cornerstone of psycholinguistics. A briefly presented prime word is masked, rendering it invisible — yet it still influences lexical access to the target.

Prime Duration50 ms
SOA100 ms
Prime-Target Relation
Press 1 = related, 2 = unrelated
Last RT
—
Accuracy
—
Trials
0
masked_priming.py
IDLE
# PsychoPy-OH: Masked priming paradigm fixation = visual.TextStim(win, text='+', height=36) prime = visual.TextStim(win, text='doctor', height=28) mask = visual.TextStim(win, text='######', height=36) target = visual.TextStim(win, text='nurse', height=40) fixation.draw(); win.flip(); core.wait(0.500) prime.draw(); win.flip(); core.wait(0.050) mask.draw(); win.flip(); core.wait(0.050) target.draw(); win.flip() keys = event.waitKeys(maxWait=2.0, keyList=['1','2'])

EEG Trigger Simulation

In ERP research, every stimulus must be marked in the EEG stream with a trigger code. PsychoPy-OH sends triggers via USB-HID on OHOS, synchronized to vsync with <1ms jitter.

ERP Component
Trigger Delay0 ms
Triggers Sent
0
Last Latency
—
eeg_sim.py · 8ch · 500Hz
READY
# PsychoPy-OH: EEG trigger via USB-HID on HarmonyOS from psychopy.hardware import parallel port = parallel.ParallelPort(address=0x0378) TRIG_STIMULUS = 0x01 def send_trigger(code): win.callOnFlip(port.setData, code) win.flip(); core.wait(0.001); port.setData(0) send_trigger(TRIG_STIMULUS) # → latency=0.8ms

Eye-tracking Heatmap

Eye movements reveal moment-by-moment cognitive processing during reading. Click on the text to simulate fixation points, or play a sample scanpath.

View Mode
Heatmap σ25
Fixations
0
Avg Duration
—
Saccades
0
eye_tracking.py · Tobii Pro 5
TRACKING
# PsychoPy-OH: Eye tracking via ioHub + Tobii Pro 5 from psychopy.iohub import ioHubConnection iohub = ioHubConnection({'eyetracker.hw.tobii': {'runtime_settings': {'sampling_rate': 500}}}) tracker = iohub.devices['eyetracker']; tracker.setRecordingState(True) fixations = detectFixations(gaze_samples, min_duration=150)
04 / ARCHITECTURE

Four layers,
one seamless stack.

From the OHOS kernel up to your experiment script, each layer is a clean abstraction — debuggable, replaceable, and documented.

L4

Application Layer

psychopy.builder · psychopy.coder

The interfaces researchers touch: Builder's drag-and-drop experiment designer, Coder's full IDE, and your own .py scripts.

L3

PsychoPy Runtime

visual · core · data · event · sound

The full psychopy package, with platform-specific backends swapped for OHOS: pyglet → EGL, pygame → Oboe, serial → OHOS USB HAL.

L2

Bridge Layer

electron · nodejs · n-api

Electron hosts the Python interpreter and Chromium surface. Node.js handles IPC, file I/O, and HAP lifecycle events.

L1

OHOS Native

arkui · hap · dds · egl · oboe

HarmonyOS 5.0+ kernel, ArkUI for system chrome, OpenGL ES 3.2 for stimulus rendering, Oboe for low-latency audio.

05 / INSTALLATION

Three paths,
one destination.

~ terminal
# === HarmonyOS ARM64 Native Build ===
# Step 1: Environment Setup
# Install harmonybrew Node.js v26.3.1 (ARM64 native)
$ harmonybrew install node@26.3.1
$ export PATH="$HOME/.harmonybrew/node/26.3.1/bin:$PATH"
$ node --version  # v26.3.1

# Step 2: Frontend Build
$ cd web_engine/src/main/resources/resfile/resources/app/
# Remove os restriction from package.json
$ node -e "const p=require('./package.json');delete p.os;require('fs').writeFileSync('./package.json',JSON.stringify(p,null,2))"
$ npm install
# Sign native .node bindings (rolldown)
$ find node_modules -name "*.node" -exec binary-sign-tool sign {} \;
# Replace lightningcss with WASM version
$ node -e "const p=require('./package.json');p.dependencies.lightningcss='^1.29.3';require('fs').writeFileSync('./package.json',JSON.stringify(p,null,2))"
$ npm install lightningcss@1.29.3
$ npx vite build

# Step 3: Package & Install
$ cd ../../../../../../..
$ hvigorw clean --no-daemon
$ hvigorw assembleHap --mode module -p product=default -p buildMode=release --no-daemon
$ hdc install entry/build/default/outputs/default/entry-default-signed.hap
REQUIREMENT
HarmonyOS 5.0+ device or emulator
REQUIREMENT
DevEco Studio 5.0+ / SDK 12+
REQUIREMENT
ARM64 target · 4GB+ RAM
06 / ROADMAP

From v0.1.3
to v1.0 and beyond.

v0.1.62026-07-12Latest

Python Backend Activated

30+ Python IPC handlers live. liaison_shim.py WebSocket JSON-RPC server. Tiered Python setup (system Python →venv →harmonybrew). Auto-diagnose & auto-install. Verified on Kirin X90a with psychopy-lib 2026.2.0.

v0.1.52026-07-11

PsychoJS Browser Runner & IIFE Bridge

Experiment runs in system browser via IIFE bridge: local jQuery/jQuery UI/PIXI/PreloadJS, dialog skip, error overlay, Scheduler-based flow. Windows-verified.

v0.1.42026-06-25

ARM64 Native Self-Build Milestone

First successful self-build on HarmonyOS ARM64 device. Fixed SVG icon rendering issues, Components panel now displays correctly, native binding signing completed. Full build pipeline documented in BUILD_ON_ARM64.md.

v0.1.22026-06-24

x86 Cross-Compile & Directory Flattening

x86 cross-compilation stabilized. Directory structure flattened for cleaner project layout. Complete build pipeline documented with step-by-step instructions.

v0.1.02026-06-23Archived

v0.1.3 retrospective

Stability milestone: frame-timing audit on HarmonyOS 5.0.1 tablets, EGL context-loss race patched, Tobii Pro 5 eye-tracker handshake stabilised. Full debug record published on the project page.

v0.1.02026-05-10

First public release

All psychopy.visual primitives rendering correctly. TrialHandler and StairHandler produce correct data. HAP packaging verified.

v0.0.32026-03-22

Alpha — rendering pipeline

First successful draw of a GratingStim on HarmonyOS. OpenGL ES 3.2 backend operational.

v0.0.22026-01-15

Pre-alpha — Electron on OHOS

Electron 28 cross-compiled for arm64-linux-ohos. Python 3.11 embedded. Custom N-API bridge stub created.

v0.2.0Planned · Q3 2026

ioHub & eye tracking

Full iohub device abstraction. Tobii Pro SDK OHOS port. EEG trigger support via OHOS USB HID.

v0.3.0Planned · Q4 2026

Distributed experiments

Multi-device stimulus sync via DDS. Run a single experiment across a tablet and phone, or a wall of tablets.

v1.0.0Planned · 2027

Feature parity with desktop PsychoPy

Every feature, every backend, every plugin. AppGallery listing. Long-term support release.

07 / COMPARISON

Where it fits
in the ecosystem.

CapabilityPsychoPy
Desktop
PsychoPy.js
Web
PsychoPy·OH
HarmonyOS
Windows / macOS / Linux✓✓—
HarmonyOS native—~✓
HAP distribution——✓
Full Python runtime✓—✓
Sub-millisecond timing✓~✓
Builder GUI✓~✓
Distributed multi-device sync——✓
Offline execution✓~✓
Native eye tracker support✓—~
Open source✓✓✓
✓ Full support
~ Partial / via workaround
— Not supported
08 / FAQ

Questions,
answered.

Can I run my existing PsychoPy experiments on HarmonyOS?

In the vast majority of cases, yes. If your script uses psychopy.visual, psychopy.core, psychopy.data, and psychopy.event, it should run unmodified.

What HarmonyOS versions are supported?

HarmonyOS 5.0 and later, on ARM64 devices. Tablets preferred for stimulus presentation, phones for response collection.

How can you guarantee sub-millisecond timing on a mobile OS?

Three mechanisms: (1) vsync-locked flips via EGL; (2) real-time priority thread via SCHED_FIFO; (3) onboard frame-interval monitor flagging >1ms deviations.

Can I use this for ERP / EEG studies?

Yes. Trigger codes are sent via USB-HID on OHOS, synchronized to screen flips via win.callOnFlip() with measured jitter <1ms. Sufficient for N400, P300, and MMN.

What eye trackers are supported on HarmonyOS?

Tobii Pro 5 is verified working in v0.1.3 via OHOS USB driver and ioHub. Eyelink support requires porting Pylink SDK — in progress for v0.2.0.

How accurate is the stimulus timing for psychophysics?

On 60Hz displays: 16.6ms ±1ms per frame. On 120Hz: 8.3ms ±0.5ms. Frame-interval monitor logs every flip; deviations >2ms are flagged.

09 / GET INVOLVED

Build experiments
for the next billion devices.

HarmonyOS is on phones, tablets, cars, watches, and headsets. PsychoPy-OH brings rigorous experimental psychology to all of them.

GitHub GitCode →
EXPLORE / PROJECT DEEP DIVE

Everything
under the hood.

Technical foundations, API documentation, development guides, testing methodology, and the full story behind PsychoPy-OH.

A / TECH FOUNDATION

The technology stack, layer by layer.

Electron 28

CHROMIUM 120 · NODE.JS 20

The desktop application framework that hosts both the PsychoPy Builder/Coder UI and the embedded Python runtime. Cross-compiled for arm64-linux-ohos with custom patches for OHOS window management and EGL context handling.

CPython 3.11

EMBEDDED · STATIC BUILD

The complete CPython interpreter, statically linked and embedded within the HAP. Ships with pip, numpy, scipy, Pillow, and the full psychopy package.

OpenGL ES 3.2

GPU SHADERS · VSYNC LOCKED

The rendering backend for all psychopy.visual stimuli. Custom GLSL shaders implement sinusoidal gratings, Gaussian masks, and drifting textures. Frame-locked to the display's vsync.

HarmonyOS 5.0+

ARKUI · DDS · USB-HID

The native platform layer. ArkUI provides the system chrome and lifecycle management. Distributed Data Service enables multi-device stimulus sync. USB-HID API connects to EEG trigger boxes and eye trackers.

B / API DOCUMENTATION

The full psychopy API, documented.

psychopy.visual

Visual Stimuli

Window, GratingStim, ImageStim, TextStim, ShapeStim, ElementArrayStim, DotStim, NoiseStim. All rendering via OpenGL ES 3.2 shaders.

psychopy.core

Core & Timing

Clock, Countdown, wait(), getTime(), quit(). Frame-accurate timing via vsync-locked flips and real-time priority threads.

psychopy.data

Data & Trials

TrialHandler, StairHandler, ExperimentHandler, saveAsWideText, saveAsPickle. Identical output format to desktop PsychoPy.

psychopy.event

Input Events

waitKeys, getKeys, Mouse, getMouse. Touch input on OHOS tablets maps to mouse events for backward compatibility.

psychopy.hardware

Hardware

parallel.ParallelPort (USB-HID on OHOS), keyboard.Keyboard, serial.Serial (via OHOS USB HAL). For EEG triggers and device communication.

psychopy.iohub

ioHub

EyeTrackerDevice, EventEmitter, fixation detection. Tobii Pro 5 verified, Eyelink in progress. Device abstraction layer with OHOS-native drivers.

C / DEBUG RECORD

The 2026-07-12 session.

A transparent log of the ARM64 native self-build milestone — 6 core issues identified, analyzed, and resolved.

ISSUE #001__errno_location Crash

Node.js crashes immediately on ARM64 OHOS due to missing __errno_location symbol in standard builds. Switched to harmonybrew Node.js v26.3.1 which includes the required symbol.

SEVERITY: Critical · FIXED: v0.1.3 · DOCS: BUILD_ON_ARM64.md
ISSUE #002dlopen Permission Denied

Native .node bindings (rolldown) fail to load due to OHOS mandatory code signing. Used binary-sign-tool to sign all .node files before loading.

SEVERITY: Critical · FIXED: v0.1.3
ISSUE #003lightningcss Missing libgcc_s.so.1

Native lightningcss binary links against libgcc_s.so.1 which is absent on OHOS. Replaced with WASM-based lightningcss@1.29.3 that runs in Node.js without native dependencies.

SEVERITY: High · FIXED: v0.1.3
ISSUE #004SVG Icons CSS Variable Failure

SVG icons rendered blank because CSS custom properties are not resolved in SVG <use> references. Fixed by fetching SVG content and inline rendering with Svelte {@html} directive.

SEVERITY: Medium · FIXED: v0.1.3
ISSUE #005Components Panel Stuck on Loading

Builder Components panel showed infinite loading spinner because Python IPC stub did not respond to component list requests. Patched the stub to return an empty component list gracefully.

SEVERITY: Medium · FIXED: v0.1.3
ISSUE #006npm EBADPLATFORM

npm install rejected the platform because package.json "os" field restricted installation to linux/darwin/win32. Removed the os field to allow OHOS ARM64 installation.

SEVERITY: Low · FIXED: v0.1.3
2026-06-23 · v0.1.2
Previous debug session
ISSUE #001EGL context-loss race

When the OHOS compositor reclaimed the EGL surface during background transitions, the Electron GPU process crashed silently. Fixed by wrapping eglSwapBuffers in a recovery loop with context recreation.

SEVERITY: Critical · FIXED: v0.1.3
ISSUE #002Tobii Pro 5 handshake

The iohub eye-tracker handshake failed on first connect, requiring a manual restart. Root cause: OHOS USB permission dialog timing. Fixed by adding a 500ms retry delay after USB device enumeration.

SEVERITY: High · FIXED: v0.1.3
ISSUE #003Frame timing jitter

On HarmonyOS 5.0.0 tablets, frame intervals showed occasional 33ms spikes. Root cause: background thermal throttling. Mitigated by requesting SCHED_FIFO priority and disabling CPU frequency scaling during experiments.

SEVERITY: Medium · FIXED: v0.1.3
D / DEVELOPMENT GUIDE

Building from source.

environment_setup.sh
# Prerequisites
$ sudo apt install build-essential cmake ninja-build
$ pip install meson pytest
# Clone with submodules
$ git clone --recursive https://gitcode.com/A9iska/psychopy-oh.git
$ cd psychopy-oh
# Download OHOS NDK (arm64-linux-ohos)
$ ./scripts/fetch-ndk.sh --version=5.0
# Build CPython for OHOS
$ cd cpython-build
$ ./configure --host=aarch64-linux-ohos --enable-shared --with-ensurepip=install
$ make -j$(nproc) && make install
# Bundle Python + psychopy into HAP resources
$ cd ../electron_runtime
$ python bundle.py --python-dir=../cpython-build/install --target=arm64-linux-ohos --include=psychopy,numpy,scipy,Pillow

01 Environment

Ubuntu 22.04+ or macOS 14+. 16GB RAM recommended for Electron cross-compilation. OHOS NDK 5.0+ required.

02 CPython Build

CPython is cross-compiled for arm64-linux-ohos using the OHOS NDK toolchain. The resulting libpython3.11.so is bundled into the HAP.

03 Electron Patch

Electron 28 is patched with 3 custom commits for OHOS: EGL surface recovery, USB-HID enumeration, and ArkUI lifecycle integration.

04 HAP Assembly

The final HAP is assembled by hvigorw, combining the Electron binary, Python bundle, ArkUI shell, and psychopy resources into a signed .hap file.

05 Testing

Run python -m pytest tests/ for unit tests, and ./scripts/timing-audit.sh for frame-precision benchmarks on a connected device.

E / CONTRIBUTING

How to contribute.

Device Drivers

Port eye trackers, EEG amplifiers, or response boxes to OHOS USB-HID. We especially need Eyelink (Pylink), BrainProducts, and SR-Research drivers.

Test Coverage

Write integration tests that verify API parity with desktop PsychoPy. Each test runs a stimulus on both platforms and compares frame-by-frame output.

Documentation

Translate the README, write tutorials, or document OHOS-specific quirks. We welcome contributions in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and European languages.

Ready to contribute?

Fork the repo, pick an issue tagged good-first-issue, and submit a PR. We review within 48 hours.

F / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Standing on the shoulders of giants.

PsychoPy

OPEN SCIENCE TOOLS

The original toolkit by Jon Peirce and Maciej Horyń. Without their work, this port would not exist.

e

Electron

OPENJS FOUNDATION

The cross-platform framework that makes embedding Chromium + Node.js + Python possible on OHOS.

CP

CPython

PYTHON SOFTWARE FOUNDATION

The reference implementation of the Python programming language. Statically linked and embedded.

OH

OpenHarmony

OPENATOM FOUNDATION

The open-source operating system that powers HarmonyOS. Its distributed architecture enables new experiment paradigms.