Lewis CaliburnOwl Labs, the first company to build AI-powered, 360-degree video conferencing solutions, has announced the launch of the Owl Bar device, a front-of-room camera, microphone and speaker.
The Owl Bar TM device pairs with the Meeting Owl (R) device and the newly-launched Whiteboard Owl TM camera – which pairs with the Meeting Owl Pro or 3 so remote team members can easily view an in-room whiteboard – in order to make hybrid meetings more immersive and productive.
According to the manufacturer, The Owl Bar is the first and only front-of-room camera on the market that works wirelessly with a 360-degree, centre-of-the-room camera for a front and centre video conferencing experience.
The Owl Labs ecosystem uses its proprietary AI-powered software to automatically switch between cameras to capture the best view of in-room attendees, enabling more natural face-to-face conversations between in-person and remote participants.
The Owl Bar works as a standalone device or integrates with other award-winning Owl Labs products using proprietary multi-camera software to create a custom ecosystem that accurately frames the faces of in-room participants on-screen as they turn their heads, improving eye contact and preventing side views.
The products are powered by Owl Intelligence System (OIS) software, which uses AI to intelligently auto-focus on in-room attendees as they speak and move. Owl Labs solutions work seamlessly together and scale to show the best view of all gathering spaces, from small huddle rooms to large boardrooms.
In a world where 98% of meetings have at least one remote participant but only 8% of the 89 million meeting rooms are wired for video conferencing, more than 150,000 organisations in 156 countries use Owl Labs technology, including 84 of the Fortune 100 companies.
This launch comes on the heels of a Series C investment and strategic partnership with HP Tech Ventures, the venture capital arm of HP Inc., which was announced in November and brought Owl Labs’ total funding to $47 million.
“Owl Labs has been focusing on making 360-degree video conferencing products for nearly a decade, recognising the value of hybrid collaboration and creating the centre-of-room video conferencing category long before the world urgently adapted to this way of working during the pandemic,” said Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs.
“We’re excited to be the first company to launch products in-market that combine front-of-room and centre-of-room views from every angle, so remote meeting attendees feel like they’re with their colleagues in person. Our goal is to take the stress out of managing hybrid teams with industry-leading technology solutions and we’re looking forward to doing that even more effectively for organisations of all sizes by expanding our product ecosystem with the Owl Bar.”
The Owl Bar pairs with other Owl Labs devices or works alone and it is compatible with all major video conferencing platforms.
When paired with the Meeting Owl, the OIS software automatically switches between cameras to show the best view of participants’ faces on-screen and it uses proprietary software to connect seamlessly with other Owl Labs devices, including the Meeting Owl, the Whiteboard Owl and the Expansion Mic, to scale and support different rooms.
It can be mounted on a wall, mounted to a television screen, or placed on a table, boasts a 114-degree, 4K, 30-megapixel camera paired with the Meeting Owl’s 360-degree, custom fisheye lens, so all meeting attendees are clearly seen, while four omnidirectional microphones and integrated, high-definition speaker can pair with eight smart mics on the Meeting Owl, so everyone can be heard.
Users can manage the Owl Bar and other devices via tablet, phone or desktop app, with remote fleet management capabilities through the Nest customer portal.
Customers can now purchase the Owl Bar for £1,999/€2,199 or bundle it with a Meeting Owl for £2,999/€3,299 and purchase the Whiteboard Owl for £599/€699 on owllabs.co.uk or through third-party resellers and distribution partners.
Both the Owl Bar and the Meeting Owl 3 bundle will also be sold on Amazon in the coming months.