Winnipeg-developed game technology could reach stores by Christmas

CTV Winnipeg: Company draws U.S. attention Ben Miljure reports on a Winnipeg company that drew recent attention for posting about Mayor Katz catching attention from a U.S. firm.

A Winnipeg technology company generated a lot of buzz on the weekend by projecting a message to Mayor Sam Katz on the side of a building. The ‘Sue Me Sam’ slide was part of a demonstration of the company’s projection technology.

“I didn’t expect it to turn into such a big deal,” said Po-Mo Inc.’s Meghan Athavale. “I think it was only up for maybe a minute.”

But her company has become a big deal and they think their latest idea is literally a game changer. They call it Lumo and it works by projecting a game on the floor or wall that people can control with their hands.

They claim the software is simple enough that people can create their own games.

“When they realize they can build their own game, that’s really magical to them,” said Athavale. “Nobody’s ever offered kids that tool before.”

The project has caught the attention of U.S. technology development firm Highway One. Athavale and an engineer will spend four months at Highway One’s California headquarters getting a crash course in technology development and making contacts with investors and manufacturers.

"They only take technology that they think is going to (become commercial) in a very short period of time, and that they think is going to make millions and millions of dollars," said Athavale.

She said if things go according to plan in California, Lumo could be available for limited release on store shelves by Christmas.