Hello, I'm new here, my name is Yann, I'm Richard's co-inventor on Aerodrums.
It's an interesting idea to design the sticks so that you can still hit things, but currently the reflective markers are too fragile and placed at the tip*. There is also the issue of preserving line of sight with the camera when you start placing various surfaces to hit.
The reason why we didn't go in that direction is that striking your palm instead is very effective and intuitive. We haven't thought about "rigidifying" the feel with something to wear on the palm, it definitely sounds like something worth exploring.
In terms of skill required, with Aerodrums you don't need to "find the exact spot in the air to swat a mosquito": it doesn't use a model of a surface in space. We tried that and it doesn't work because people can't reliably locate the virtual surface. Instead, Aerodrums determines when you intend to hit something by analyzing your gesture, then it computes what piece it is you wanted to hit. This is why drummers at NAMM were able to get something out of Aerodrums literally at the instant they picked up the sticks.
*actually one of our early users has had the "cross bar" idea and made a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrUNVA003lU
It makes sense that for drummers whose technique is far from a loose German grip, looking for a solution like this is less daunting than to use a different technique when air-drumming. Richard and I think that learning the appropriate technique is the more rewarding thing to do.