D-BOX Technologies Inc. (informally known simply as DBOX) is a publicly traded haptic motion technology company based in

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie, Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the South Shore (Montreal), south shore o ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. The company designs and manufactures motion and haptic systems for entertainment, simulation, and training industries. Combining haptic technology with

actuator An actuator is a machine element, component of a machine that produces force, torque, or Displacement (geometry), displacement, when an electrical, Pneumatics, pneumatic or Hydraulic fluid, hydraulic input is supplied to it in a system (called an ...

s provides physical sensations in a virtual setting. As of July 2019, D-BOX seats were located at over 700 movie screens in 40 countries. The company was founded in 1998. Sébastien Mailhot is the company's President and CEO.

History

D-BOX was originally founded in 1998 as a manufacturer of powerful subwoofers. Michel Jacques was the company's president and CEO. The company noticed customers were buying multiple subwoofers to place around seats to mimic a motion effect. The company decided to shift its focus to motion technology, and in 2001 released its first generation of D-BOX motion seating systems. The company initially focused on the theatrical-exhibition market rather than home consumers, due to the high cost of a single chair. In August 2005, Claude McMaster became the company's President and CEO. In 2009, Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, asked D-BOX to use its motion technology for the 2009 film ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'', also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'', is an American Action film, action media franchise centered on a series of films revolving around street racing, heist film, heists, and spy film, spies. The franchise also inclu ...

''. The project was successful, and was considered a company milestone. Also in 2009, Canadian exhibition chain Cineplex opened its first D-BOX location. The company also began working with movie theater chain Cinemark International, expanding globally to install seats throughout Latin America. In October 2018, the company entered the sports simulation market, and displayed a

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

simulator at a sports conference in London. In November, Variety announced that D-BOX was working to develop an amusement park ride based on

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

's popular Rabbids title. In May 2019, the company announced that its simulation technology was being used by Monaco-based company RS Simulation in its Sector One racing simulator. By July 2019, D-BOX seats were located at over 700 screens in 40 countries. In August, the company announced that Australian and New Zealand-based company Hoyts was installing D-BOX seats in its theaters. In October, the company announced it was partnering with India-based film chain PVR Cinemas to install its seats in Indian cinemas, and that the 2019 Indian action film War would incorporate the motion technology coding. On April 1, 2020, the company announced that Sébastien Mailhot was taking on the role of President and CEO. In September, British simulation company Cranfield Simulations announced a $170,000 home

simulator using D-BOX's suspension platform. In November, the company announced a lower cost chair designed for the home entertainment market. In December, the company announced it was working with gaming hardware manufacturer Cooler Master to produce a gaming chair featuring full-body haptic technology. In December 2022, D-BOX collaborated with simulation company RSEAT to develop the HF-L4, a sim racing and theatre system based on D-BOX's G5 haptic motion system.

Products and services

D-BOX produces haptic (motion) effects programmed for visual and musical content, which are sent to a motion system integrated either within a platform, a seat, or various types of equipment. Sounds and action are hand-encoded to link to motion effects. Its technology is used for various industries including movie theaters, sim racing, gaming, home entertainment, commercial training and simulation; and attractions and theme parks. Maya NorthLasVegas Opening

Movie theaters

D-BOX motion systems are present in more than 800 screens throughout 40 countries. The first feature film to have been encoded with D-BOX was ''

'' released on April 3, 2009 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. As of January 2021, over 2,000 titles are coded in D-BOX. In

digital cinema Digital cinema is the digital technology used within the film industry to distribute or project motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of reels of motion picture film, such as 35 mm film. Whereas film reels have to be shipped to mo ...

, D-BOX codes for motion control are stored in the

Digital Cinema Package A Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is a collection of digital files used to store and convey digital cinema (DC) audio, image, and data streams. The term was popularized by Digital Cinema Initiatives, Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC in its original ...

for the film. Control data is encoded in a monoaural WAV file on Sound Track channel 13, labelled as "Motion Data". Motion Data tracks are unencrypted and not watermarked.

Sim racing

D-BOX's technology is used by a variety of manufacturers to develop simulation technology. D-BOX's haptic system is the only official haptic technology licensed by the

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...

(FIA), and the company is also the Official Haptic Partner of eNASCAR. DBOX Trial Machine

Gaming

D-BOX partners with gaming companies such as

to license its technology for video games, including

Assassin's Creed Valhalla ''Assassin's Creed Valhalla'' is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the twelfth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the successor to 2018's ''Assassin's Creed Odyss ...

. The company also partners with haptic gaming chair manufacturers such as Cooler Master.

Home entertainment

D-BOX Technologies first introduced its motion generating systems in 2001 to the home theater, Sim racing,

Esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

and PC gaming markets. The D-BOX system can be integrated within single seats or full with many seats theaters. For existing seating, motion can be added using a D-BOX Motion Platform.

Commercial simulation and training

D-BOX technology is used for simulation and training by companies including heavy equipment companies

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

and

John Deere Deere & Company, Trade name, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, Transmission (mechanical device), transmi ...

, and commercial simulation company CM Labs Simulations. The company's motion and haptic equipment is also installed in helicopter flight simulators at the American base of Fort Novosel in Alabama (formerly Fort Rucker), as part of simulators provided by the Australian company Ryan Aerospace, and the American company Precision Flight Controls.

Attractions and theme parks

D-BOX also provides technology to operators of immersive attractions and

theme parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

. Projects include '' SpongeBob'' VR, created in partnership with virtual reality attraction manufacturer MajorMega and VR studio Creative Works, MajorMega's HyperDeck VR attraction, and the

Asterix ''Asterix'' ( or , "Asterix the Gauls, Gaul"; also known as ''Asterix and Obelix'' in some adaptations or ''The Adventures of Asterix'') is a Franco-Belgian comics, French comic album book series, series about a Gaulish village which, thanks ...

-themed ride ''Attention Menhir!'' at French theme park Parc Astérix.

Exhibitors

Exhibitors installing D-BOX equipment in their theaters include: * AMC *

Cinemark Theatres Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (stylized as CineMark from 1998 until 2022 and in all caps since 2022) is an American movie theater chain that started operations in 1977 and since then it has operated theaters with hundreds of locations throughout the A ...

* Cineplex Entertainment * Hoyts * Maya Cinemas *

Ster-Kinekor Ster-Kinekor is a South African-based cinema company, and the country's largest movie exhibitor. It represents 60-65% of the market, having 32 cinema complexes consisting of 342 screens, 47 961 seats and 124 3D screens across the country (Comme ...

D'Place Entertainment

Studios

D-BOX works with movie studios including: *

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

* Walt Disney Studios *

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Yash Raj Films Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. History In 19 ...

Operations

D-BOX is headquartered in

, Canada, and has satellite offices in Beijing and Los Angeles. Sébastien Mailhot is the company's President and CEO. The company reportedly has 90 employees.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Canadian companies established in 1998 Electronics companies established in 1998 Technology companies established in 1998 Manufacturing companies established in 1998 1998 establishments in Quebec Companies based in Longueuil Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Simulator rides