ManiPullAction
Mani-Pull-Action is a scientific and artistic research project developed as part of my PhD in Digital Media. It explores a new approach to performance animation by investigating how the dexterity, expressiveness and fine motor skills of the human hand can be used to control virtual characters in real time. The project developed a non-tangible interface based on hand tracking technologies such as Leap Motion, translating hand gestures and movements into puppet-like interactions with digital characters. Inspired by traditional puppetry, this approach explores new possibilities for live storytelling, performance and interactive theatre. From a scientific perspective, the project included a study comparing different levels of interaction and their impact on the manipulation of virtual characters. The results were experimentally validated and published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. From an artistic perspective, Mani-Pull-Action proposes a new form of performative animation, using the expressive potential of the hands as a means of storytelling and live character performance, bridging traditional puppetry, digital animation and human–computer interaction.
