If you’re okay with technology in your child’s room, a company called Lumo wants to help your child’s imagination grow.
Recently added to an Indiegogo campaign and getting lots of money, the Lumo projector projects games and images onto a hard flat surface (like a child’s bedroom floor), so that your kid can really get into a game or expand her imagination. Here’s how it all works.
The Creative Lumo Projector
Kids have great imaginations. From building tents out of blankets to skipping through imaginary forests, most kids don’t need any extra help in order to imagine grand schemes and scenarios. But it’s also fun to play games while expanding those imaginative horizons. The Lumo is a small projector that can be mounted to any surface (even at an angle) simply. When turned on, the Lumo projects one of many different games (the company will sell up to 100 different projections) onto any floor surface.
For example, one of the games is air hockey. If this game is chosen, an air hockey table image will be projected onto the floor, and kids can play the game using their feet. Another game is the popular classic Hungry Hungry Hippos (once again, kids use their feet to play the game). Each of the games and images responds to things like kicking, stomping, and hopping, so kids can do things like chase fish across the floor or jump on lava rocks.
Updating Games
Lumo games can be updated using any computer or WiFi device. This setup makes it simple for Lumo users to add new games and to create new interactive games as a child grows. The concept behind the Lumo projector is a good one (teaching kids to move and grow and be active while playing video games), and that’s why the device is getting a lot of current crowdfunding attention.
The Company
Lumo is based in Winnipeg, Canada, and its founders created the toy after devising numerous digital displays for museums and other establishments. Based on the success of those setups, Lumo decided to create this projector for kids, since most kids respond to games and lots of kids do not get enough exercise (Lumo seems to provide the best of both worlds).
The Lumo runs on Android software, and it’s a great way to get your kids to be more active if they spend too much time playing video games and sitting on the couch. But as great as Lumo sounds and is, this device doesn’t come with a cheap price. If you want your kids to have an interactive world that’s also a fun one, you’ll have to shell out $549. Yeah, that’s not a small price to pay for any kind of kid toy!
Where to Get It'
It was possible to snag a Lumo for $399 as part of an early bird special, but those have already sold out. You can also put down $199 now, and pay the balance when the toy actually ships (which is supposed to be this coming December). If you want to get one of these for your kid, now’s a good time to plop down that $199 and spend the rest this holiday season.