One Page Summary

We have created a device which reads the head movement of the sensor bearer and translates the head movements to the movement of a puppet - people who could never coordinate or move their limbs can express movements with the help of this device.
The core of this project is a 3D printed puppet which serves as a medium for displaying movements what we, the spectators got used to in artistic puppet shows. The puppet is controlled by the disabled performer, who can express body movements in a way he or she could never done before. The Stage of Impossibilities helps to give space to individualities with severe disabilities whose body movements are limited and opens the world of physical performances for them. The idea is to create an open source platform, and thereby an out-of-the-box solution to anyone in the world interested to build and use such a device.
The construction is built upon a 3D printed marionette hanging on strings from a frame. This acts as a robotic arm animated by the motion of the head or any body part. The movements are tracked with a sensor, translated into data and transferred immediately to the puppet. Movement-data can be stored and replayed too, giving even more possibilities to experimentation.
The two main application areas of the tool developed by this project are movement therapy and artistic intermediation - and there are many further directions the development can take, if we manage to build a product. An early prototype has been already created which has gone through a year of testing in a special education primary school in Budapest. The professionals of special education have implemented the movable puppet in the development of disabled children who enjoyed the device as an engaging game. The game induced them to leave their comfort zone and reach their physical limits. While moving the puppet with a headband, children were capable of movements otherwise hardly performed, because they were concentrating heavily on the moves of the puppet and this has put them in a released state. Seeing and controlling the puppet as a projection of their own intents is an important cognitive process as well. Over and above the puppet has gained a role in a theater piece of the school, animated by one of the pupils.
The project contributes to the dismantling of stereotypes about people with disabilities. Beyond the surface there are individuals and personal stories, this puppet provides expressing abilities for these people. Through the transfer of movements, messages can come alive in a very unique way with the reinterpretation of physical constraints. Social visibility is improved by the connection between the puppet-mover and the audience.
The performers’ quality of life is enhanced as well, through their active presence and contribution to an art happening.
Since the puppets are built together, made personalized and fitting to any desire, even the process of assembling is a community experience. The aim with earning the grant of SocialChallenges.eu is to create an open source platform which would make it accessible to anyone for free to build such a robotic arm without any specific programming skills, using locally available resources. 3D printers provide an easy, cheap and fast way to produce such a puppet and robotic structure, nonetheless it gives space to boundless creativity. For example the drawings of children can determine the lookout of the puppet. At the moment head movements are being tracked - this way people with tetraplegia (paralysis of all four limbs) are also able to be involved – but the plan is to implement eye sensors or any other special sensors suitable to any unique disability.
There were already some similar projects successfully realized, like the Eyewriter which made it possible for a paralyzed graffiti artist to continue his art, the e-Nable with its 3D prints hands and arms, or the Eye Play the Piano. These already proved that it is possible to reach a great cultural impact with the inclusion of enabling tools.
In order to reach this state in the project where it can be handed over to any external participant, first of all the tool’s documentation needs to be created. The enabling abilities of the project could be expanded by the future open source platform. This opening would allow the project to be adapted and further developed by other maker communities, artist groups or researchers interested to create new ways of communication. The project enables the cooperation and communication between different groups of society what could have a positive impact on any knowledge transfer.
As the pilot experiment with the puppet on the school theater piece has already proven, it is feasible to create puppet theater. The device is mobile, therefore suitable for any theater, workshop or meetup environment. This way it is a solution which addresses a wide and diverse audience and with the means of art it raises much bigger awareness than a simple therapeutic equipment.