Learning low-dimensional latent spaces for Hand-pose interaction systems

Xu, Songpei (2025) Learning low-dimensional latent spaces for Hand-pose interaction systems. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

In recent years, mid-air gesture recognition and control have emerged as touch-free interaction mechanisms with significant potential, but human-centered design challenges persist, particularly due to the complexity of user hand movements, user-learnability of interaction system, and usability across varied contexts. This research addresses limitations in current mid-air gesture systems by introducing strategies that reduce the latency of real-time interaction and enhance hand pose interpretability. We introduce a hand pose recognition approach using only two video frames, optimizing for speed and accuracy while minimizing time dependencies, thereby allowing users to experience a more responsive system. Building on these insights, the Hand-pose Embedding Interactive System (HpEIS) employs a Variational Autoencoder to map gestures to a two-dimensional space, introducing visualized feedback mechanisms that improve user experience. At the same time, interaction stability improved through smoothing and anti-jitter methods. While this approach improves robustness in dynamic movements, further challenges remain in adaptability and flexible user control. To expand flexibility, the HandSolo model introduces a disentangled hand pose embedding space, supporting multi-dimensional control with independent degrees of freedom, thus enabling interactions adaptable across devices and contexts. Coupled with a Visual Interaction Evaluation Strategy (VIEs), HandSolo provides a guidance for system designers to align model capabilities with user preferences. The experimentation underscores the effectiveness of these systems. This integrated research establishes a framework for mid-air hand pose control, advancing usability, flexibility and extensibility in the interaction design of mid-air hand pose with high dimensional input.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science; Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software; T Technology > T Technology (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
• Supervisor's Name: Murray-Smith, Professor Roderick
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85455
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 22 Sep 2025 09:00
• Last Modified: 22 Sep 2025 09:00
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85455

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