Activation modes for gesture-based interaction with a magic lens in AR anatomy visualisation

Learning human anatomy is key for health-related education and often requires expensive and time-consuming cadaver dissection courses. Augmented reality (AR) for the representation of spatially registered 3D models can be used as a low-cost and flexible alternative. However, suitable visualisation and interaction approaches are needed to display multilayered anatomy data. This paper features a spherical volumetric AR Magic Lens controlled by mid-air hand gestures to explore the human anatomy on a phantom. Defining how gestures control associated actions is important for intuitive interaction. Therefore, two gesture activation modes were investigated in a user study (n = 24). Performing the gestures once to toggle actions showed a higher interaction count since an additional stop gesture was used. Holding the gestures was favoured in the qualitative feedback. Both modes showed similar performance in terms of accuracy and task completion time. Overall, direct gesture manipulation of a magic lens for anatomy visualisation is, thus, recommended.