Logitech has introduced its new Logic of Work platform, a suite of products and services aimed at improving collaboration and engagement between those who work from home and those in the office.
New releases include Sight, a 315-degree camera placed in the center of a conference table that can intelligently focus on people. It's designed for use with Logitech's line of Rally Bar front-facing cameras, connected via an Ethernet cable and controlled via CollabOS video conferencing software.
Other competitors already offer 360-degree cameras for this purpose, but Logitech says they can distort perspective and even prohibit inclusion in a hybrid work environment. The company argues that its multi-camera setup provides a more efficient solution.
Director of AI
At the heart of Sight is what Logitech calls Director AI, which allows the camera to automatically shift focus to those speaking around the table. The seven built-in microphones have acoustic beams that calculate the attack time of speech sounds to know who is speaking when, and then adjust the camera to capture them head-on.
The sight can be secured in place via a clamp, in a grommet, or anywhere else in the floor space with the optional tripod. It also features a sliding lens cover to give you peace of mind from prying eyes when a meeting is not taking place.
At a launch event in London attended by TechRadar Pro, Logitech spoke openly about its R&D process, detailing the failed attempts that led to the development of the Sight. One of them made "Strange Valley" avatars of the people in the room, but luckily he scraped himself.
Other products
Another product that is part of this new company vector is Scribe, a camera that passes over a whiteboard and digitally converts scribbles in real time, resulting in sharp renderings that others can see.
In addition to business, education has also been highlighted as a new focus for Logitech, and the company believes that hybrid arrangements will soon be common in schools and universities as well. The company's Crayon, designed for the new iPad lineup, is aimed at students of all ages and offers a more competitively priced alternative to the Apple Pencil.
Crayon and Scribe are available now, and the Sight will arrive in summer 2023 priced at €1,999 / €1,745.