In a dazzling showcase of innovation and creative potential at TEXPO25, a standout team—Kinetic Canvas—emerged as champions for their groundbreaking project: a low-cost motion capture system built with African storytellers in mind. The Zimbabwean-led team not only tackled the technical challenges of 3D animation and real-time tracking but also envisioned a future where African filmmakers can create high-quality content without being hindered by financial constraints.

In this exclusive interview with My Afrika Magazine, we speak to the brilliant minds behind Kinetic Canvas—Tadiwanashe Chibonda, Troy Hughes, Osirumiji Ihude, Proud Mutata, and Tungamirai A. Mutambisi—about their vision, technical journey, and the deeper impact of innovation on storytelling, mental health, and identity in Africa.

MAM: Congratulations on your win at TEXPO25! What inspired the idea behind your low-cost motion capture system, and why was it important for you to focus on African filmmakers?

Tadiwanashe Chibonda: “Kwame “K-Dynamics” Ndlovu is a visionary African filmmaker passionate about bringing high-energy action scenes, stunning VFX, and lifelike animations to the screen. However, professional motion capture rigs cost thousands of dollars—far beyond his budget. Without motion capture, his CGI characters move stiffly, and realistic action sequences require expensive post-production work.

Kwame also runs a weekend film training program for young, aspiring filmmakers in Bulawayo. If he had an affordable, DIY motion capture system, he could teach next-generation creatives how to bring their digital worlds to life.”

The first thing we think about when we want to create a movie is the EXPENSES, which is usually a demotivating factor to the entire production. This brought about the challenge of designing an affordable project that could record high-quality skits without breaking the budget. Our target was also to not complicate the process of animating real-time captured moments.

We felt it was important to target African Filmmakers because it’s high time narratives of the continent make their mark in the mainstream film industry. We wanted to give them a chance to bring in the raw originality of African tales to the global stage without being burdened by the weight of heavy expenses. We understand that storytellers hail from diverse backgrounds, meaning unique cultures and rich heritage brought to the spotlight.

Let us democratize motion capture technology for African storytellers, empowering them to create authentic narratives and leave a lasting impact.

MAM: Your system uses tools like YOLO, MediaPipe Pose, Raspberry Pi 5, and Blender to produce smooth 3D animations. What were some of the biggest technical hurdles you faced, and how did you overcome them?

Troy Hughes: Our project combined YOLO, MediaPipe Pose, Raspberry Pi 5, and Blender to create smooth, realistic 3D animations from simple video recordings.

One of the biggest technical hurdles we faced was ensuring the captured motion data was clean, accurate, and usable for animation. MediaPipe outputs 2D key points for human joints, but the raw data can often be jittery, incomplete, or noisy, especially when running on a lower-power device like the Raspberry Pi 5. To solve this, we implemented a frame-by-frame processing system using Inverse Kinematics (IK) inside Blender. Instead of forcing each bone to move to a specific location, IK allows us to tell the skeleton where a limb should end up, and Blender naturally calculates the most realistic joint movements based on human body constraints.

Another major challenge was managing the huge amount of motion data generated. Since MediaPipe captures 33 key points for every frame, we needed an efficient system to store and retrieve the hundreds of thousands of coordinate values. We solved this by serializing the pose data into .pkl (Pickle) files, making it much faster and more stable for our scripts to read and apply the data during animation.

We used YOLO to build our multi-capture system — allowing us to eventually support tracking multiple people at the same time. This will be critical in future versions where capturing interactions between several characters is needed for storytelling and filmmaking.

Overall, we overcame the technical hurdles by combining computer vision, data optimization, and smart animation techniques into a simple, affordable, and scalable motion capture solution optimized for African creators using devices like the Raspberry Pi 5.

MAM: Usability is key for adoption. How did you ensure your Flutter interface was accessible for creators who might not be highly technical?

Osirumiji Ihude: Building a user-friendly interface was a priority from day one because we knew our solution had to be accessible to everyone, especially those who may not have much of a technical background. We specifically chose Flutter for its quick development time and flexibility in building responsive, cross-platform interfaces that work seamlessly on all major operating systems.

We designed the setup process to be extremely intuitive, with clearly labelled options and a minimalistic setup. Instead of overwhelming users with too many settings, we offered smart defaults and a smooth user experience, something that feels easy to use on a daily basis. After all, many of our target users are full time motion capture artists who will need to use this technology very frequently.

We also tested the UI with people outside our team, including some without prior experience in motion capture and used their feedback to refine the final design.

Our end goal was to make it as stable and intuitive as possible, without exposing users to the multitude of complex processes that were taking place under the hood.

MAM: Team collaboration played a huge role in your success. What key lessons did you learn about working under pressure?

Proud Mutata: Teamwork was absolutely critical to our success during the hackathon. One of the first things we learned was that “division of work” was essential to manage time and tasks effectively. However, it came with its own challenges. Since each team member was working on a different part of the project, we didn’t always immediately share the same vision. One key takeaway was that “trust is a critical aspect of collaboration”. We had to trust each person to understand the end goal and do their part without constant cross-checking, which saved us valuable time. Rather than spending hours trying to align every minor detail, we trusted each other’s strengths and let the pieces come together naturally — and they eventually did.

“Clear communication” also proved essential. With limited time and high stakes, even small misunderstandings could derail our progress. We prioritized quick, honest updates about our individual parts without overcomplicating discussions, which kept the team moving smoothly.

There was a particularly tense moment when we needed to assemble the physical device, but the software wasn’t fully ready. Disconnecting the device from the laptops would pause software development — something we could barely afford. In that high-pressure moment, “organization and adaptability” were key: the hardware team mapped out a staged assembly process to minimize downtime, allowing software development to continue wherever possible.

Finally, we learned that “staying flexible and managing pressure without blame” kept morale high. Although our individual visions didn’t always align perfectly at first, through “trust, communication, and adaptability”, we were able to bring everything together successfully.

Overall, the experience taught us that collaboration under pressure is not just about working side-by-side, but about “trusting each other’s skills, communicating clearly, organizing efficiently, and staying resilient” when plans change.

MAM: You also engaged in powerful discussions about mental health and identity at TEXPO25. How did those experiences influence your outlook on technology’s role in shaping Africa’s future?

Tungamirai A. Mutambisi: Attending TeXpo25 was a transformative experience that shaped my outlook on technology’s role in building better futures for Africa. Being amidst creatives like award-winning Tariro Chaniwa highlighted the importance of establishing one’s identity and core values in the creative industry. The live performance of Haywire, featuring Chipo Chaniwa and Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi, shed light on mental health issues such as anxiety, fear, and schizophrenia, which are often stigmatized in African cultures.

Our experience at the TeXpo hackathon inspired us to develop an affordable motion capture system, designed to empower African filmmakers and storytellers. This system bridges the gap in access to high-quality filmmaking tools, enabling creators to produce compelling content that showcases African perspectives and experiences. Moreover, by providing a platform for storytelling, we aim to promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma around mental health issues.

TeXpo25 reinforced my belief that technology can drive positive change in Africa. By harnessing innovation and creativity, we can build better futures for our communities, promote mental health awareness, and empower local talent.