programming a computer to work with remote control

[lushgardens]

with remote control, I mean for robotics and concert lightshows, where do I start? I am not very good with programming and most of the books I come across don't really fit what I am interested in, if I could programm the computer so that when I pressed a certain key or moved the mouse, that I would have the animatronic do a specific series of motions, or programming motions.

and does anyone know a lot about motion capture on linux, perhaps using, instead of cameras, chips taped onto the skin and specially made pieces of hardware that can sense for those chips, and print out readings of where those chips were for a specified time.

Thanks