Tangible Virtual Patch Cords

This paper presents a system to tangibly manipulate the virtual patching cords in graphical programming environments, such as Max and Pure Data. The system includes a physical interface, a communication protocol, and a software library, providing physical extension of the graphical programming paradigm. The interface includes a patch bay with connectors representing signal inlet and outlets from the programming environment. When inlets and outlets are connected with patching cords, equivalent virtual connections are created at runtime. The system supports one-to-many and many-toone connections with different signal combination schemes. The design of the hardware and software components of the current prototype is detailed in the paper, as well as possible use of the system for programming and live performances.