Canon U.S.A. Inc. has introduced a collaborative work tool that is in development — AMLOS (Activate My Line of Sight). AMLOS is a hybrid meeting software solution that can harness the power of Canon's image processing technology that is being designed to help create an immersive hybrid work experience.

The development of the AMLOS solution stemmed from the challenges faced over the past two years with remote working. Several months into the pandemic, teams at Canon U.S.A. began to personally feel some challenges of remote work, like the majority of those in the American office culture. While the convenience factor of working from home benefited people in many ways, after a few months, many Canon U.S.A. employees found some hurdles to conducting productive meetings with high engagement over video.

To keep colleagues connected on a deeper level, the solution of AMLOS was born, with the goal of being single, simple and seamless, while creating inclusion among members of a hybrid team, uniting them on a virtual and emotional level. The software uses a single camera enabling multiple lines of sight, is simple to operate through intuitive gesture control (for in-office members), and provides seamless connectivity with others through Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Azure.

"We have come to know remote working well over the past two years, and we recognize that hybrid teams need a great way to collaborate," said Kazuto "Kevin" Ogawa, president and CEO, Canon U.S.A. Inc. "With AMLOS and the use of a single camera, we're aiming to alleviate the pain points that come with group interaction and are pleased to be working with Microsoft on this endeavor."

Experiences like serendipitous interactions, which were lost with remote working, can be restored by the AMLOS solution. A person in an office can launch a meeting with AMLOS using a hand gesture and then send invites to remote colleagues to join him (or her).

Further, instead of remote participants struggling to participate in group conference room meetings virtually, they will be able to drag and drop on their device screens to zoom in on areas that the in-room participant focuses on, like text on white boards, presenters in the room and objects on a table, giving them control over what they want to interact with during a meeting. In-office participants can use hand gestures to identify what they want to share with remote users.

The AMLOS software is compatible with Canon's CR-N300 and CR-N500 PTZ cameras, which produce 4K and HD image quality with image-processing power and speed that enables 4K UHD video acquisition, image stabilization and precise Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus. These features can clearly capture detailed visuals, such as writing on a white board.

By utilizing both digital and optical zoom capabilities, the camera can keep the presenter in the room in focus and on screen, while the software reacts to gestures given by participants in the room. The software and camera can target an area designated by the in-office user and capture snapshots, bringing a specific point of reference into focus.

The software works with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Azure. Businesses that already use Teams to instant message, video conference and store files, and those that use Azure for cloud services, will have the opportunity to increase productivity by taking advantage of the AMLOS solution's intuitive, collaborative software.