Design of a Remote Controlled Puppet Robot Imitating a Manual Driven Puppet Using Deep Learning Pose Detection

Traditional puppet manipulation systems often require human operators to be physically present in tight and cramped locations. This leads to challenges in the positioning and effective operation of puppets, particularly in the presence of children in educational settings. In this paper, we present the design, development, and integration of a cost-effective robotic system for remotely manipulating puppets in real-time. Additionally, the system integrates a YOLOv8 Pose Detection model, trained on a custom dataset with an accuracy of 91.4%, enabling real-time gesture recognition and allowing the robot to be controlled by imitating the motions of a manually operated puppet. The system demonstrates the potential for many applications, including interactive entertainment, teleoperation, and education.