Romanian .lumen’s glasses for the blind among CES 2026 Innovation Awards honorees

Romanian deeptech company .lumen announced that its glasses for the blind have been named a CES 2026 Innovation Awards honoree in the Accessibility & Longevity category. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in the US, the awards recognize outstanding design and engineering across 36 product categories.

“Romania just won its first-ever CES Innovation Award,” said Cornel Amariei, CEO & Founder of .lumen. "Two years ago, we went to CES Las Vegas for the first time. It changed us forever and how we think about technology, courage, and global impact. Today, we’re winning it.”

The .lumen glasses for the blind are the world’s first mobility device to replicate the functions of a guide dog through technology. Powered by the company’s patented Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI) system, the glasses combine cameras, spatial AI, and haptic feedback to help visually impaired users navigate safely and independently.

Over the years, .lumen has become one of Europe’s most awarded deeptech startups, earning recognition for both its innovation and social impact. The company’s milestones include the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge (Ethical AI Award, 2021), the Red Dot: Luminary Award(2021), European Innovation Council Accelerator funding, and selection as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer (2024), the first Romanian company ever to join that list.

.lumen also won the US Army Pitching Competition at CES 2025, the EIT Health Catalyst Award, and the GITEX Global Supernova Digi Health Award(2025), with multiple team members featured in Forbes 30 Under 30.

(Photo source: Dotlumen.com)