Prior to the pandemic, there was nothing particularly interactive nor collaborative about video conferencing solutions. But during the lockdown desperate times called for desperate measures. Many of us learned to regularly jump onto video software solutions like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to keep up with deadlines, schedule interviews, and even occasionally just connect with colleagues from all distances. To this day a good percentage of the workforce still depend upon these sorts of virtual interactions to keep working together and build/maintain social connections. Especially so within the context of hybrid work where some days may be spent in the office, others working from home. Steelcase’s most recent collaboration with video technology brand Logitech is designed to serve such realities in the form of Ocular View. Ocular View was developed to give co-workers and collaborators a more personal and immersive means to meet virtually, described by Steelcase not as a virtual reality technology but rather an extended reality experience. So how does this Ocular View pod differ from the usual webcam, microphone, and speaker setup we all already know and use? To answer that you have to rewind back to 2023 when the technology was first unveiled as a prototype at Integrated Systems Europe under the code name, Project Ghost. Developed to record and parse workers’ needs for improved hybrid collaboration experiences, Project Ghost would lay the groundwork for Steelcase and Logitech “to create a more realistic experience that would help combat digital fatigue.” Over several iterations Project Ghost would integrate elements such as the Steelcase® Everwall® enclosure to give users acoustic and visual privacy – both vital in work environments – before eventually evolving into Ocular View. A comfortable and natural atmosphere is paramount to fostering natural conversations in the workplace, Steelcase’s bread and butter. With seating accommodating for up to two participants, users interact using a high-resolution video camera within a comfortable miniature lounge. Furnished with a small table and soft lighting to help participants look and feel their best, Ocular View was intentionally designed to eliminate distractions, placing the technology secondary to the physical environment. Participants simply tap to join to start the realistic conversation. Equally important is Logitech’s expertise in webcam technology; Ocular View automatically removes the remote participant from their background and displays them in life-size rendering, allowing conversations to unfold with an eye-to-eye perspective. By connecting sight lines at a direct level, Ocular View is able to create the simulated effect of the natural gaze we share when speaking to others in-person. “Our vision for this project was that people would walk in and the technology is supposed to fade away,” says Logitech’s Alex Mooney. “We emphatically didn’t want people to focus on the experience of the technology, but rather on the experience of talking to each other in a comfortable, human-to-human way.” Ocular View, co-developed by Steelcase and Logitech, is available to order in North America and select European countries. For more information, visit steelcase.com. Imagery courtesy of Steelcase. #steelcase #ocular #view #simulates #facetoface