Logitech has introduced the AI-powered tabletop camera ‘Logitech Sight’ to intelligently capture meeting participants for greater meeting equity.
Sight has been designed to solve the question of where cameras and microphones should be placed in a room to capture all participants effectively.
The tabletop camera will be available from mid-2023 for $1,999, including VAT.
Holly Zhou, Group Product Marketing Manager at Logitech, said: “What we came out with was a little bit more Hollywood and less Silicon Valley.
“I would like to introduce you to the solution we have come up with, Logitech Sight, our exciting new tabletop intelligent camera.
“Site works hand in hand with our front over the camera to deliver the best price.
“We think it’s really this joint solution of both perspectives that provides the best of both worlds, getting your perspective from the middle of the action, as well as from the front of the room.
“In-room conversation, whether across the table or to the remote participant, is captured naturally and so that the far end participant could hear and see everything clearly.”
Logitech pointed to a Microsoft survey that was done earlier this year, which found that 43% of respondents globally said that they did not feel included in meetings.
They didn’t feel like they were thriving or well-equipped in hybrid meetings and they felt left out of the conversation.
According to Zhou, Logitech has taken it upon itself “to help remote participants feel more included and like they have a seat at the table”.
A lot of solutions, such as combining a front-of-room camera on its own or in conjunction with a wall-mounted camera, often mean meeting participants are not captured in a way that allows them to be easily seen or heard.
For example, if a participant is captured talking on a front room camera and then turns to talk to a colleague, their face will not be in the frame anymore. Even adding in a wall-mounted camera will not be able to adequately capture the various viewpoints needed in a free-flowing conversation.
Logitech’s solution is Logitech Sight, which has a 315-degree field of view, dual 4k camera, seven omnidirectional mics with acoustic beams and a 2.3m radius pickup range, indicator lights, mute mic controls, and a magnetic privacy shade.
Sight also comes with either an impermanent table mount, a grommet mount for permanent installations, or a tripod mount stand for rooms without tables.
The solution integrates with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom and connects with a Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini.
In order to determine the height of the camera, Logitech gathered anthropometric data from around the world to find the average height of people’s eyes when sitting. People don’t want the camera to be at their actual eye level, however. Equally, the camera can’t be too low or else laptops will block the camera’s field of vision. Logitech believes that it has found the ‘sweet spot’ between these two at roughly 29 centimetres (11 inches) tall for Logitech Sight.
Sight is certified carbon neutral and made with sustainable materials and responsible packaging.
Logitech offers sync support for the device, and in order to connect the device, it requires a cable plugging into the front of the room camera and also a power over ethernet (PoE) connection.
Looking to the future, Zhou said, “we love to broaden this perspective into even bigger spaces with a dual-site connexion, so this will be supported through product launch.”
Logitech has released other devices to assist with hybrid working, including webcams and headphones, as well as Logitech Sync.
In April this year, Logitech took part in a UC Today round table, discussing hybrid meeting room kits.
