Hybrid Collaboration at Eye Level – Confair Buddy Makes It Possible

The future of hybrid meetings starts now! Last year at Orgatec, we presented the prototype of our latest innovation, the Confair Buddy, which integrates remote participants into face-to-face meetings almost as seamlessly as if they were on site. As a highly mobile, wireless avatar, the Confair Buddy takes hybrid collaboration to a whole new level.

The problem is well known: In conventional video conferences, people who are connected digitally often feel isolated and less involved. Spontaneous interactions, social connections and creative dynamics that make face-to-face meetings so valuable are lost. With our Confair Buddy, we have developed a solution that actively integrates remote participants into the event - at eye, ear and voice level with everyone on site.

The high-quality, battery-powered stele is equipped with an integrated tablet including a powerful audio system and an AI-controlled camera. It can be moved freely around the room and flexibly aligned. The camera can be controlled by remote participants so that they can actively look around themselves and focus on their conversation partners. On-site participants can activate the AI camera's auto-tracking function for themselves using a gesture.

Especially in creative meetings, the Confair Buddy demonstrates its strengths: When in-person participants examine objects from different perspectives, move around the room, or work at whiteboards, remote participants connected via the Confair Buddy can be easily "brought along" and repositioned thanks to the integrated handles.

Magnetic markers also make it possible to prioritize specific sections of an analog whiteboard for the camera. This ensures that the digital perspective remains present at all times and seamlessly integrates into the creative workflow.

The Confair Buddy builds on 25 years of research and development by Wilkhahn, which began with the "Roomware" concept introduced at the EXPO 2000 World Exhibition.

Its mobile, elegantly designed form perfectly complements the Confair Next room modules, seamlessly integrating into modern work environments:

• The head unit- featuring a display, AI camera, speaker, and microphone—can be adjusted flexibly from seated to standing height.
• The technology remains discreetly in the background, keeping the focus on the nearly life-sized display of the remote participant.
• A powerful battery enables wireless operation throughout the entire workday. The Confair Buddy can be charged via a retractable cable or an external charging station.
• Smooth-running, lockable wheels and integrated handles allow for intuitive movement within the space.

Compared to complex robotics solutions, the Confair Buddy offers two key advantages: First, it eliminates the risk of collisions and technical malfunctions. Second, the physical interaction on-site - being “taken by the hand” - enhances the social integration of remote participants into the group. This creates a hybrid meeting experience that feels almost like true in-person presence.

The first prototypes of the Confair Buddy are already being used in pilot projects and exhibitions by our partners. Insights from this testing phase are continuously incorporated into further development.

The goal is to usher in a new era of hybrid collaboration - one where all participants can truly interact on equal footing.

Are you interested in the Confair Buddy and want to be among the first to test it live in your organization? Send us a request via our contact form. Due to the limited number of test devices, we need to carefully assess where the Confair Buddy can be tested first. If your company is a good fit, we will get in touch with you as soon as possible! Who knows- one of the world’s first 10 Confair Buddy units might soon be on its way to you!

Hybrid meetings that feel real? With the Confair Buddy, this is about to become a reality.