Logitech’s new hybrid working range includes a self-directing camera
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Logitech has unveiled its new Logic of Work platform, a line of products and services aimed at improving collaboration and engagement between home workers and people in the office.
The new launches include Sight, a 315-degree camera placed in the center of a conference table that can intelligently shift focus to individuals. It is designed to be used in conjunction with Logitech’s Rally Bar range of front-facing cameras, connected via an Ethernet cable and controlled via the CollabOS video conferencing software.
Other competitors already offer full 360-degree cameras for this, but Logitech argues that these can distort perspective and still prohibit recording in a hybrid work environment. The company states that their multi-camera setup offers a more effective solution.
AI director
At the heart of Sight is what Logitech calls the AI director, allowing the camera to automatically shift focus to those speaking at the table. The seven built-in microphones feature acoustic beams that calculate the attack time of speech sounds to know who is speaking when, then adjust the camera to capture them on their faces.
The visor can be secured via a clamp, in a grommet or elsewhere in your floor space thanks to the optional tripod. It also has a sliding lens cover to give you peace of mind from prying eyes when meetings aren’t happening.
At a launch event in London, attended by TechRadar Pro, Logitech was open about its R&D process and provided details about the failed attempts that led to the development of the Sight. One of these made ‘uncanny valley’ avatars of the people in the room, but luckily this got scraped.
Other products
Another product part of this new vector for the company is Scribe, a camera that goes above a whiteboard and digitally converts scribbles in real time, resulting in neat renderings for others to see.
In addition to business, education was also highlighted as a new focus for Logitech, with the company believing that hybrid arrangements will soon be commonplace in schools and colleges as well. Designed for the new line of iPads, the company’s Crayon is aimed at students of all ages and offers a more competitively priced alternative to the Apple Pencil.
The Crayon and Scribe are both available now and the Sight is expected to arrive in summer 2023 with a price tag of $1,999 / £1,745.