[As a person with low vision (due to congenital nystagmus), this story from Travel Tomorrow about a new type of glasses that use a combination of presence-evoking technologies to “replicate the functionality of a guide dog,” is especially meaningful. The original version of the story includes a 1:22 minute video (also on YouTube). Much more information about the .lumen glasses and the company developing and testing them is available from MIT Solve, including this description:

“.lumen uses technologies from autonomous driving and robotics scaled down to a wearable system. In detail, it uses advanced sensorics, mostly vision-based, combined with he latest in Machine Learning, to understand the surrounding world, its objects, their trajectories, where it is safe to walk and where not. Afterwards, it uses internal processing to compute paths of interest for blind individuals that are safe and constantly responding to the environment. Lastly, it offers the relevant information through .lumen’s patented auditory and haptic feedback mechanisms. At the same time, several other features are available such as the Voice-base Human Machine Interface that leverages Speech Recognition and Conversational AI; OCR capabilities to understand “wild” text and several other features which increase the usability for the blind. .lumen is a Software startup with a Hardware component. The hardware is the deployment platform that is designed to be future proof. The software is constantly updated over the air, constantly increasing the helpful features it offers.”

MIT Solve also provides a link to a second video (again, also available on YouTube). And an excerpt from coverage from Interesting Engineering is included below. For more about the glasses, see the .lumen website. –Matthew]

Romanian startup develops AI glasses that help blind navigate without canes or guide dogs

By Dana Stefan
January 17, 2025

Romanian startup .lumen is aiming to transform the world of assistive technology with glasses for the visually impaired that use cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and self-driving technology to replicate the functionality of a guide dog, offering a scalable, accessible solution for over 300 million visually impaired individuals worldwide.

Mobility remains a significant challenge for the visually impaired. Traditional aids, such as white canes and guide dogs, are valuable but limited. Guide dogs, while effective, are costly and difficult to scale. Training a single guide dog can cost up to €70,000, and only 28,000 trained guide dogs currently serve a global population of millions.

“There are over 338 million visually impaired individuals worldwide today and expected to surpass 500 million by 2050. When it comes to their mobility, the most known solutions are thousands of years old – the guide dog and the walking cane. It is a fundamental need to develop a solution for the other 337,972,000 blind individuals who can’t benefit from a guide dog”, explained Cornel Amariei, CEO and Founder of .lumen.

At the core of the .lumen Glasses lies PAD AI (Pedestrian Autonomous Driving), a technology inspired by self-driving cars but tailored for pedestrian environments. This system uses a combination of sensors, Intel RealSense depth cameras and custom machine learning algorithms to create a 3D map of the surroundings in real-time. This feature allows the specs to function anywhere, without requiring internet connectivity or pre-mapped routes.

The technology identifies sidewalks, crosswalks and obstacles, ensuring users navigate safely in urban, rural, indoor and outdoor environments, and uses a haptic feedback system that “guides” users through gentle vibrations, mimicking the intuitive guidance of a guide dog. The system is also integrated with Google Maps, to allow wearers to set specific destinations, while audio notifications alert them to critical navigation elements like stairs or traffic crossings.

“The system is designed for outdoor use, which presents a much more complex environment. It could be in a park, at a train station, or in a large square—much more dynamic than the relatively predictable paths of an autonomous car. In certain situations, such as approaching stairs or a crosswalk, the system provides audio notifications to guide the user”, said Robert Gutt, Navigation Lead at .lumen.

Tested by over 300 individuals in nearly 30 countries, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many first-time users said they experienced the freedom of walking independently, with several describing it as life changing. One participant, blind since birth, even described the glasses as a “miracle.”

[From Interesting Engineering’s coverage:

“The glasses have been tested by over 300 blind individuals from nearly 30 countries, with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Gutt recalls witnessing users walk independently without white canes for the first time, an experience so moving that it often brought tears of joy. “Earlier today, I saw a blind person navigating this crowded area for 10 to 15 minutes—a challenging environment with so many people bumping into each other. Yet, they walked freely, without a white cane or any assistance. Witnessing this brought tears of joy to some, as it was their first experience walking unassisted,” Gutt told Interesting Engineering at CES 2025.”

Founded in 2020 by Cornel Amariei, a Romanian inventor inspired by his family’s experiences with disabilities, .lumen has rapidly gained recognition. With a team of 50 engineers and scientists, the startup has secured significant funding, including €5 million in 2024 (out of which a record €1 million in a single day), enabling a limited launch of the glasses. By 2026, the company aims to sell 10,000 units globally, with an expansion to the US market planned for 2025.