I’ve got “Travel Assist” too and also have a steering ball with remote controls and wonder how the systems knows that the ball isn’t my hand.
There is some debate how the system works and think there’s two possibilities, one being sensors in the wheel or the wheel senses if your reacting to the direction of steering.
I don’t think its sensors because it would think the steering ball is a hand so I think it senses if your reacting to the steering direction, remember its an assist and not automatous steering. As you know when driving along a road or motorway you have to correct the steering simply because the systems can’t see, for instants, a pothole so you over ride the system so in turn it knows your in control. It also has a tendency to to drift slightly towards the centre white line and the gutter that sometimes require a manual correction to the steering.
Overall it’s a brilliant system more so for me driving with one hand and driving from Bristol to Newcastle awhile ago was no more tiring for me that driving to the local shops, though I did have to stop for a wee.