D-BOX Technologies and Mila announce partnership to use Artificial Intelligence for haptics

MONTRÉAL, June 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- D-BOX Technologies Inc. (“D-BOX” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: DBO), a world leader in haptic and immersive experiences, and Mila, the world’s largest deep learning research institute, have announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership in order to use artificial intelligence (AI) for haptics and to increase business productivity. More specifically, the aim of the agreement is to begin using automated encoding tools relying on machine learning to detect instances where motion, texture, and vibration could be integrated into audio and video content to create more immersive experiences using haptics.

Today, haptic technology requires that audio and visual content be systematically encoded to create an immersive experience in a seat or armchair. The home entertainment strategy requires more and more content (movies, TV series, etc.), which are largely encoded manually and require multiple hours of work. With the development of automation tools for this task, D-BOX will gain greater efficiency and be able to encode more movies and TV series every year. We continue to innovate in home entertainment, and the use of artificial intelligence should enable us to more rapidly expand our catalogue with new types of content such as music, or even content for relaxation.

“Through this partnership, Mila will play a big part in developing deep learning for D-BOX’s haptic technology. This technology is particularly relevant in the entertainment industry, which is constantly reinventing itself in order to retain new fans,” said Sébastien Mailhot, President and CEO of D-BOX. “With access to Mila’s top researchers and its partners, D-BOX will be able to considerably increase the pace of automation of haptic encoding for all audio and video content.”

“The combination of AI and haptic technology has a multitude of promising applications,” stated Stéphane Létourneau, Executive Vice-President of Mila. “This partnership with D-BOX will allow Mila to work on many innovative projects in the field of entertainment.”

ABOUT D-BOX
D-BOX creates and redefines realistic, immersive entertainment experiences by moving the body and sparking the imagination through effects: motion, vibration and texture. D-BOX has collaborated with some of the best companies in the world to deliver new ways to enhance great stories. Whether it’s movies, video games, music, relaxation, virtual reality applications, metaverse experience, themed entertainment or professional simulation, D-BOX creates a feeling of presence that makes life resonate like never before. D-BOX Technologies Inc. (TSX: DBO) is headquartered in Montreal with offices in Los Angeles, USA and Beijing, China. Visit D-BOX.com.

ABOUT MILA
Founded in 1993 by Professor Yoshua Bengio, Mila is a research institute in artificial intelligence that rallies nearly 900 researchers specializing in the field of machine learning. Based in Montréal, Mila’s mission is to be a global pole for scientific advances that inspire innovation and the development of AI for the benefit of all. Mila, a non-profit organization, is internationally recognized for its significant contributions to machine learning, especially in the areas of language modelling, machine translation, object recognition and generative models. To learn more, visit mila.quebec/en.