The mechanical manipulation of three-dimensional puppets and objects to emulate living beings has a very long history in automata.
ðə mᵻkˈænɪkəl mənˌɪpjʊlˈeɪʃən ʌv θɹˈiːdᵻmˈɛnʃənəl pˈʌpɪts ænd ˈɑːbdʒɛkts tʊ ˈɛmjʊlˌeɪt lˈɪvɪŋ bˈiːɪŋz hɐz ɐ vˈɛɹi lˈɔŋ hˈɪstɚɹi ɪn ˌɔːɾəmˈɑːɾə.