HandOver: Enabling Precise Selection & Manipulation of 3DObjects with Mouse and Hand Tracking

We present HandOver, a new interaction technique designed to unify precise mouse‐based selection with intuitive hand‐tracking for virtual object manipulation. Our system’s depth‐aware 3D cursor allows users to join the accuracy of mouse input for near‐field tasks, then seamlessly switch to a “hand clone” when the physical hand lifts off the mouse area. This transition mechanism extends direct grasping and ray‐casting capabilities to distant objects, mitigating the fatigue and jitter often associated with purely gestural input. In a formal user study, we compare HandOver against two ray‐based techniques: Ray+Hand and Ray—across near, mid, and far distances. Quantitative results indicate that HandOver maintains minimal error and faster targeting times at far‐field ranges while offering fluid transitions into more distant interactions. Subjective feedback and ergonomic measures (e.g., RULA posture, NASA‐TLX workload) further reinforce that blending mouse precision with hands‐on expressiveness can improve user comfort, accuracy, and speed in immersive 3D environments. Bridging these paradigms yields a single, continuous workflow that adapts to different spatial contexts, reaffirming the role of “the hand” in modern virtual object manipulation.