The Data Arena isn’t designed for traditional keyboard and mouse input and instead supports other input devices appropriate to the interactive space. Many of these are supported by VRPN, a peripheral network that runs in the Data Arena and allows for communication from devices such as the 3DConnexion SpaceNavigator, gaming console controllers, PC joysticks, sound hardware etc.

If you’d like to build something interactive for the Data Arena, it’s best not to rely on a keyboard and mouse. Included in /local/examples/processing/demos/versionsWithVRPN are copies of each demo with VRPN connectivity added via a version of the VRPN library created for Processing. These sketches are built for the SpaceNavigator, a popular 6 axis controller available in the Data Arena, and demonstrate how to communicate with the device and read its values. The Processing VRPN library is compatible with all supported VRPN hardware, so if you’d like to integrate a different device, these sketches should get you on the right path.

The Data Arena is also equipped with motion capture hardware and a sixteen channel audio system, opening up a huge number of possibilities for your sketches. If you’d like to be the first to try integrating Processing with more of these systems, we’d like to hear about it!