TECHNOLOGIES
prnewswire | May 31, 2023
Vuzix Corporation a leading supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology and products, and Materialise NV (NASDAQ: MTLS), ("Materialise"), a 3D printing pioneer, have announced a collaborative effort to accelerate the design and production of smart eyewear using 3D printing technology. By integrating 3D printing into the manufacturing process, Vuzix and Materialise aim to accelerate the development of new innovations for enterprise applications, from warehouses to operating rooms. Moreover, the collaboration will enable third party technology, sports, and entertainment brands to rapidly introduce functional, fashionable and affordable smart eyewear to consumers using Vuzix' OEM components and designs, reducing the average manufacturing cycle from 18 months to just 3.
Vuzix, an optical technology company specializing in the design, manufacturing, and sale of optical components and smart glasses, utilizes augmented reality (AR) to deliver a perfect balance of engagement between the digital and the real world. By collaborating with Materialise, a 3D printing pioneer with over three decades of experience, Vuzix gains access to the full potential of 3D printing to support companies in offering an exciting new series of smart eyewear.
Augmented reality enhances user effectiveness in various industries by connecting them to key information in digital world while staying hands-free and completely aware of the physical environment. Medical professionals rely on AR eyewear to access remote expertise during lengthy surgeries, while manufacturing and logistics companies utilize AR features to drive efficiency and reduce operational errors. Leveraging the flexibility of 3D printing in smart glasses production can significantly reduce design cycles, enabling a more agile response to the fast-paced introduction of technological advancements.
While smart eyewear has transformed the workplace, consumer adoption has been limited due to the lack of compelling consumer applications and the lack of fashionable and affordable designs. Vuzix and Materialise aim to address these challenges by creating exciting and innovative designs that cater to companies seeking to introduce fashionable and affordable smart eyewear to consumers.
Exciting consumer applications of smart eyewear using Vuzix OEM components include on-screen displays of speed and heart rate for athletes, push notifications and navigation, speech-to-text translation, and augmented reality gaming. Many companies in the technology, fashion, entertainment, and sports sectors today often lack the manufacturing expertise to bring these innovative applications to life and on a timely basis. The collaboration between Vuzix and Materialise can provide these third-party OEM companies with a flexible platform for producing smart eyewear with creative designs, rapid prototyping services, and fast and flexible production of small series.
Materialise runs one of the largest 3D printing factories in the world and is the largest manufacturer of 3D printed eyewear. 3D printing holds multiple advantages for eyewear production with manufacturers increasingly turning to 3D printing for its unique design capabilities and its fast and flexible production process. It offers virtually unlimited freedom of design, allowing designers to create innovative shapes that are cost-prohibitive or impossible with traditional manufacturing technologies. Additionally, 3D printing drastically reduces time-to-market, enabling the transition from initial design to finished product in less than 3 months, compared to the eyewear industry's typical 18-month design-to-shipment cycle.
"With its speed, flexibility and digital DNA, 3D printing offers eyewear brands a competitive edge by allowing them to drastically reduce their time-to-market while meeting customers' aesthetic requirements," says Fried Vancraen, CEO of Materialise. "We believe that collaboration with Vuzix will bring new innovations to industrial smart eyewear and accelerate the customer adoption of smart eyewear in the enterprise and broader consumer markets."
"As our OEM solutions ramp up in support of defense, consumer, and other markets, our manufacturing capabilities need to match pace for scalability, production speed and above all quality," said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix. "Materialise offers several key advantages that align with our strategic outlook. We look forward to seeing what's possible together."
About Vuzix Corporation
Headquartered in West Henrietta, New York, Vuzix, a supplier of smart glasses, AR technology and products for industrial, defense and enterprise markets, has provided solutions for wearable computing devices and personal display, mobility, and virtual and augmented reality since 1997. Its suite of OEM optical components with waveguides and display engine technology offers a high-quality viewing experience to the customers. It has acquired about 200 patents and patents pending, wireless technology innovation awards and IP licenses in the Video Eyewear field. It has also won Consumer Electronics Show (CES) awards for innovation from 2005 to 2022.
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MEDIA AND BROADCASTING
businesswire | June 01, 2023
Xperi Inc. announced that BMW has selected TiVo’s video media platform to provide customers access to a growing number of video content providers, including linear and on demand streaming services. BMW’s implementation of the Powered by TiVo™ platform will include a variety of country-specific content, offering news, movies and access to media libraries. The video media platform is expected to roll out over-the-air in initial launch countries by the end of 2023 for customers of the all-new BMW 5 series and further models.
TiVo’s video media platform is a first-of-its-kind, aimed at giving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) significantly more control over the user experience and helping consumers cut through the clutter of streaming and linear content options with simplified, universal discovery to consumers. With an award-winning content-first experience, global content provider scale and profitable partnership model, Powered by TiVo is the ultimate independent operating system. From the living room to the car, BMW’s endorsement of an independent media platform with a content-first search and discovery experience, validates the market appeal. The BMW implementation will also be part of Xperi’s independent media platform, but will be integrated in automobiles to deliver immersive in-car entertainment experiences.
“Our independent media platform strategy is well suited for the automotive industry as they make advancements in in-cabin technology and creating new and adaptive experiences. We will work closely with BMW to ensure that the in-car video media platform by TiVo provides a best-in-class in-car entertainment experience,” said Jon Kirchner, CEO of Xperi. “Unlike existing platforms, the Powered by TiVo platform traverses entertainment mediums and gives OEMs significantly more control over the user experience.”
"In-car entertainment becomes increasingly important for our customers," said Ingo Lasslop, vice president product management for digital products and services at BMW Group. "This collaboration with Xperi will allow us to deliver a world-class entertainment offering to our customers and transforms their time spent in the vehicle even more into a captivating and enjoyable experience."
Based on decades of experience growing profitable consumer electronics and entertainment ecosystems, the BMW video platform Powered by TiVo will be designed to maximize the in-car entertainment experience.
About Xperi Inc
Xperi invents, develops, and delivers technologies that enable extraordinary experiences. Xperi technologies, delivered via its brands (DTS®, HD Radio™, TiVo®), and by its startup, Perceive, and IMAX Enhanced, an IMAX and DTS partnership, have been integrated into billions of consumer devices and media platforms worldwide, powering smart devices, connected cars and entertainment experiences. Xperi has created a unified ecosystem that reaches highly engaged consumers driving increased value for partners, customers and consumers.
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VIRTUALIZATION
prnewswire | April 27, 2023
Linius Technologies Limited the only cloud-based solution that unlocks the value of video archives with immersive, deeply personalized viewer experiences via its Linius Video Services (LVS) platform is pleased to announce a new agreement to provide its sports solution, Whizzard, to IMG's digital archive platform, IMG Replay.
The Linius Whizzard product will be deployed as a core feature within the IMG Replay service, virtualizing the entire IMG Replay archive to make it more searchable and usable. IMG Replay customers, who include production companies, advertising agencies, broadcasters, news agencies, and content creators, will use Whizzard to search the vast archive to source specific fixtures, teams, individuals, and events to curate, produce, and license video content. IMG Replay (www.IMGReplay.com) manages an exclusive sports and entertainment archive, consisting of nearly 50,000 hours of premium content on behalf of leading rights holders such as Premier League, World Rugby, PGAA, The Championships, Wimbledon, The R&A, Miss Universe, Giro D'Italia and many more.
Linius Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Brennan, said "We are delighted to be selected by IMG to enhance their IMG Replay service. This is a significant validation of the power of our Linius Video Services (LVS) platform and the value unlocked by our Whizzard product for one of the world's largest sports and media companies. Whizzard is driving accelerated commercial momentum, with Linius adding four new clients in the last five months, leading to record billings in Q2 FY2023 that is expected to double in Q3."
"Through IMG Replay, Whizzard will be used by some of the premier sporting organisations in the world. IMG Replay and their associated sporting organisations have long recognised the value of these archives. Whizzard makes it possible to unlock that value today and by virtualizing the entire archive, IMG and their clients will have the ability to enable multiple innovative use cases for this content."
Vice President, IMG Replay at IMG Media, Tom Barnes said "Whizzard will hopefully enable IMG Replay users to create their bespoke automated individual highlights much more quickly and effectively. We believe Linius Whizzard will enable great efficiencies for our clients, generate significant new revenues and open new markets for IMG Replay and this content."
The agreement is for an initial 2-year term and includes a fixed setup fee and a monthly license subscription. The agreement is otherwise generally on terms and conditions customary for an engagement of this nature, including as to confidentiality, protection of intellectual property, security requirements and data protection, privacy, and service levels.
This engagement is significant for the Company as it provides substantive validation of Linius' technology and business model by one of the global leaders in the media and entertainment industry, and the application of the technology across a highly valuable and diverse set of premium sports and entertainment content. Moreover, the momentum in adoption of the Whizzard sports platform in recent months, with four new sports companies signing on with Linius, demonstrates an increasing awareness of its unique capability and application for sports companies.
About Linius Technologies Limited
Linius' purpose is to unlock the value of the world's video, creating immersive, deeply personalized viewing experiences. For the first time, we make it possible to find, curate, and utilize the valuable moments across vast libraries of video, enabling viewers to create an infinite amount of personalised video compilations on-the-fly, providing the most relevant content to each viewer.
Our patented Video Virtualisation Engine™ (VVE) turns big, bulky video files into lightweight, searchable data that is enriched with AI and ML, making it easy and efficient for users to find and share what matters to them. Creators and owners of video can drive greater viewing, and monetisation of their video assets.
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