AI Particle Manipulation

Real-time, interactive particle art controlled by your hands and microphone. Uses OpenCV for rendering, MediaPipe Hands for tracking, and NumPy for fast particle physics. Includes a settings panel and resilient camera handling.

Features

• Hand tracking with MediaPipe Hands (open vs. closed fist)
• Attraction/repulsion forces near each hand; burst on fist close
• Neon particles with glow trails and bloom
• Sound-reactive brightness/vibrations (mic input)
• Webcam background blended with a dark radial gradient
• HUD with FPS/Mic/Hands/Camera status
• Robust camera scanning with hotkeys (n/p/r)
• Persistent settings saved to particle_settings.json

Requirements

• Windows 10/11, Python 3.9–3.12
• Webcam and microphone
• No GPU required

Installation

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\pip install -U pip
.venv\Scripts\pip install -r requirements.txt

If MediaPipe fails for your Python version, try upgrading pip first or install a matching wheel from https://pypi.org/project/mediapipe/.

If sounddevice cannot open the mic, make sure the input device is enabled under Windows Settings → Privacy → Microphone.

Run

.venv\Scripts\python ai_particle_manipulation.py --mirror

Hotkeys

• s: Toggle settings panel
• h: Toggle hand landmarks overlay
• n/p: Next/previous camera
• r: Rescan cameras
• + / -: Increase/decrease particle count
• g: Toggle gradient background
• w: Toggle webcam overlay
• c: Cycle color palettes
• x / Esc: Quit

Settings Panel

Press s to open. Adjust particle count, blur, alpha, palette, gradient/webcam visibility, mirror mode. Settings are persisted across runs in particle_settings.json.

Troubleshooting

• Camera OFF/black: Press n/p to switch cameras or r to rescan. Ensure no other app uses the webcam. Allow Camera access in Windows privacy settings.
• Hands OFF: Improve lighting; move your hand closer; press h for landmarks.
• Mic OFF: Confirm mic permission and device is active; try installing pyaudio if sounddevice isn’t available.
• Performance: Reduce particles, increase blur a bit, or hide the webcam overlay.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.

Credits

• MediaPipe Hands (Google)
• OpenCV, NumPy

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Maintained by peddapudisiva. Pull requests and issues welcome.