AV Magazine AV Magazine 
Office meeting booth company Framery has unveiled a new Framery Contact solution which uses projection in a blacked out and soundproofed virtual meeting pod.
Introducing the product on its website, the company says it is “a virtual meeting pod that comes closer to recreating the experience of a real face-to-face conversation than any other technology on the market”.
Framery claims the product, which combines a 2D 4K projection display with visual and audio isolation, is superior to conventional videoconferencing.
“While convenient, current video conferencing tools come with many challenges and limitations – the greatest of which is a lack of real face-to-face interaction Traditional video calls conceal non-verbal cues, such as eye contact, direct gaze, and body language – thereby limiting personable social dynamics, and even idea generation,” the company said on its website.
The visual and acoustic isolation achieved by Framery Contact is designed to promote spatial presence and connectedness
“Projections are captured unaltered, and transmitted at the highest possible quality, while strategically placed mirrors capture and display direct eye contact. This ensures a high degree of social presence and prevents adverse effects caused by computer-generated imagery,” the company added.
Sound is captured with a cardio microphone and played out of an active audio monitor that matches the radiation pattern and frequency response of a human speaker. LED lights fully illuminate the user without blinding them.
Framery claims the product is more sustainable than business travel. A single-return flight between London and New York is said to emit 1.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while the combined manufacturing, five year’s usage and recycling of Framery Contact would only emit 1.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The meeting booth has already been reviewed by consumer tech publications, among them The Next Web which commented: “Unlike Framery’s other pods, Contact has blackout glass walls, so entering it for the first time feels very unusual… The reason is that Framery Contact isn’t using any sophisticated technologies like volumetric or light-field displays, opting for a normal 2D screen together with our own mental capabilities.”
Framery CEO Samu Hallfors told the Next Web: “Removing the surroundings with black [backdrop] helps your brain to actually fill in the gaps and build this kind of 3D representation.”
The Daily Beast commented: “You can’t see your screen during calls… so you’re not baited into simply staring at yourself. And the combination of the dark background and precise lighting keeps the focus on just the other person you’re communicating with.”
However, it noted that there was no facility to pull up a document on screen – the technology is instead intended only for individual meetings, such as a final interview with a job candidate.
A reviewer at The Ambient website added: “Currently the experience is limited to one-on-one calls for the optimal experience; we were told the 3D magic effect gets thrown off a bit when there are more than four eyeballs in the room but the pod itself is big enough to also host a desk, so you could easily work on your laptop during a Contact ‘meeting’.”
Framery Contact is being made available immediately to pilot customers with the date of a broader product release to be determined. Demo pods will also be available in the company’s showroom in Chicago and at Framery headquarters in Tampere, Finland.
Earlier this year, Framery also announced a partnership with Logitech to create a range of hybrid workspaces and pods fitted with Logitech technology, including webcams, control panels and docking stations.
For more information about Framery Connect, see:
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