Samsara Inc. has launched a 360-degree AI camera built for the equipment that does physical work on job sites, in warehouses, mines and airports, extending the safety and visibility tools the company already sells for road fleets to machines such as excavators, forklifts and pushbacks.
The Samsara 360 Camera uses a dual-fisheye lens to capture a full surround view from a single mounting point. It is being introduced together with Samsara Equipment, the company's platform for monitoring and managing that machinery. Samsara said the combination brings AI safety and operational visibility to equipment operating in demanding environments.
Frontline workers run these machines with open cabs, without a windshield or roof, often within feet of coworkers and other equipment. Samsara said that until now none of that equipment had a camera system built for the job, and that without footage from the ground, incident investigations stalled, liability was disputed and the same unsafe behaviours could be repeated.
Designed for open-cab machines
David Gal, vice president of product and engineering at Samsara, said the frontline workers who operate forklifts, excavators and ground equipment do some of the riskiest work in physical operations, on machines with open cabs and hazards on every side. He said the camera was built tough enough to work in those conditions and to see all the way around the operator, so customers can protect frontline workers on the warehouse floor, the job site and the ramp the same way they do on the road.
Samsara said conventional 360-degree systems for equipment require four cameras, four mounts and a separate recorder. The Samsara 360 Camera captures a full 360-degree view from one mount point, and managers can pan and zoom through any recorded event to watch it from every angle. The company said it installs like a Samsara dash cam and is built to withstand harsh weather and rough operating conditions. The AI behind the camera is built on nearly a decade of Samsara AI Dash Cams, according to the company.
What the system is meant to do
Samsara lists three main uses for the footage. Its AI detections flag mobile phone use, camera obstruction, seat and lap belt use and harsh impacts, trained on how equipment is actually operated. Managers can see which operators, sites and equipment types show repeat risky behaviour, and every impact automatically pulls video into the Samsara Safety Inbox so investigations close on evidence rather than competing accounts. Managers can also coach operators using their own footage, enforce zero-tolerance mobile phone policies and speed up OSHA investigations without adding headcount, while timestamped footage is positioned as support for insurance claims and for establishing or clearing liability quickly.
One platform for equipment and fleets
Samsara for Equipment combines with the 360 Camera, equipment monitoring and agents on the same platform organizations use for their road fleets. Samsara said teams can see how long each forklift or excavator sits idling, schedule preventive maintenance on actual engine hours instead of the calendar, and see how many forklifts actually run at peak before buying more. Samsara agents work with the equipment out of the box, so a fault code can open a work order automatically, and every vehicle, piece of equipment and operator lives on one platform instead of needing a separate OEM portal for each equipment brand.