The Logitech Project Ghost booth is for making videoconferencing calls look like you’re in Star Wars.
Logitech
We’re all spending more time in front of videoconferencing gear than ever before, whether that’s something official from the likes of Cisco or something more home-made – like a Logitech webcam. Now the company that makes those webcams wants to do it all properly.
The result is what Logitech is calling Project Ghost – a booth of sorts that has a big comfy chair for you to sit on while talking to the person at the other end of the call. The thing is, that person will appear like a hologram. Except they aren’t.
The Verge reports that the whole thing will literally be a case of smoke and mirrors. The technology used is similar to that employed by teleprompters that make text appear to float in mid-air, but in reality, it’s just being reflected onto a piece of glass by a mirror. That’s what’s happening here, apparently.
Except, this goes a step further by putting the camera directly behind the glass portion of the contraption, something that apparently ensures eye contact. And it’s that eye contact that makes the whole thing work and feel as if the other person really is in the room, even if they’re thousands of miles away.
The whole thing is very clearly aimed at businesses, a point that’s driven home by a price that is expected to run into the mid-four digits. But Logitech is apparently already thinking about how Project Ghost could be used in virtual care situations as well as education.
As for when Project Ghost could actually go on sale, that’s all very much up in the air right now. Logitech is very much at the stage where it stats to show its work to others to see how it goes down. If Project Ghost is well-received Logitech wants to move fast. If not, it’ll go back to the drawing board and continue to iron out any kinks before trying again.
