A Clutching Method for Switching Interaction Modes Driven by Natural Mid-Air Gestures

In human-computer interaction systems, the precise differentiation between interactive and non-interactive modes is crucial for enhancing the user experience. Traditional methods relying on buttons or fixed gestures suffer from issues such as lack of convenience and user fatigue. To address this, a method for interactive mode switching based on natural mid-air gestures is proposed by designing clutching gestures based on changes in hand depth information to achieve efficient and accurate mode switching. The contributions include the design of intuitive clutching gestures: inward dragging for switching from interactive to non-interactive mode, and outward stretching for the reverse transition, thus avoiding the additional cognitive and physical load imposed by traditional methods; asymmetric threshold design combined with a system state machine mechanism to reduce false positive rates and ensure precise and seamless transitions; and experimental validation demonstrating a significant improvement in accuracy across a variety of scenarios. This approach offers a natural and efficient solution for mode switching in human-computer interaction systems, with wide application potential.