In a medical imaging apparatus having a medical data acquisition scanner operated by a control computer, and an operating method therefor a gesture detector in communication with the control computer detects at least one input gesture made by a user and provides an electronic signal, in response to the at least one input gesture, to the control computer that causes the control computer to control an aspect of operation of said data acquisition scanner dependent on said at least one input gesture. Detection of the at least one input gesture by the gesture detector is activated by providing an activation signal to the gesture detector from an activation status controller in response to a manual input to the activation status controller made by the user, with the gesture detector being enabled to detect the at least one input gesture only after being provided with the activation signal.