Groundbreaking interactive floor projection technology reaches crowd-funding goal
Augmented reality projector gives young children active, social play and simple game creation tools.
LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Studies confirm that addictive, screen-based experiences negatively impact the activity level and social development of young children. Now one Canadian technology company has found a way to combine the best of interactive digital content with active, physical play.
The Lumo Play (www.lumoplay.com) crowd-funding campaign is now fully funded, which means the project can move to the next step. Lumo is an all-in-one interactive projector that transforms the floor into a motion-reactive surface. Kids play together and interact by moving their bodies naturally--by running, kicking, jumping and waving.
"The real difference between Lumo and other game systems is that kids literally jump into the game and play together," explains CEO Meghan Athavale. "They aren't using controllers and staring at a character on a screen. They arethe character, and they're looking at each other when they play."
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Lumo is its ability to track physical objects within gameplay. This allows kids to use the animation and content creation tools included with the platform to bring their toys to life. In one demo, the company shows an actual toy car that shoots projected lasers at animated cymbal-banging monkeys. In another, children count fish using a toy fishing rod.
"Toy tracking is a stretch goal, but we have working examples of games that use regular toys as controllers," says Jocelyne Le Leannec, Lumo's lead game designer. "Lumo projects animations on and around toys. It brings toys to life."
Now that Lumo is funded, the company plans to work with the project's backers to develop features and content that will help kids move and create. Most of Lumo's supporters are parents and teachers, but Athavale says there has also been strong interest from special needs educators, occupational therapists, and other early childhood professionals.
Athavale has been presenting Lumo at events across North America such as CES, and SXSW since January. The next Lumo demo will be at Augmented World Expo (http://augmentedworldexpo.com/, June 8-10), where Athavale is also speaking alongside Augmented Reality giants like Steve Mann, David Brin, and Google's Johnny Lee.
Lumo is still available on Indiegogo until May 22. While the company may choose to accept pre-orders following the campaign, currently the only way to secure a Lumo Play unit is to back the project on Indiegogo at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lumo-interactive-projector.
Lumo is a completely new class of toy that will redefine gameplay and interaction. To learn more about the future of augmented interactivity, or to set up an interview with the company's founders, please contact [email protected]
Photos: http://www.prlog.org/12454780
SOURCE Lumo Play Inc.
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