TLDR: .lumen, a Romanian deep-tech startup, has been recognized as a CES® 2026 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Accessibility & Longevity category for its groundbreaking ‘Glasses for the Blind.’ This AI-powered assistive technology replicates the function of a guide dog, enabling greater independence for visually impaired individuals.
Bucharest, Romania – November 11, 2025 – .lumen, a pioneering deep-tech startup originating from Romania and founded by Cornel Amariei, has achieved significant international recognition by being named a CES® 2026 Innovation Awards Honoree. The prestigious award was bestowed in the Accessibility & Longevity category for the company’s revolutionary product, ‘Glasses for the Blind.’ This accolade marks a pivotal moment for Romanian innovation on the global stage, with Amariei stating, ‘Romania has just won its first CES Innovation Award.’
The CES Innovation Awards Program, orchestrated by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is a globally renowned competition that celebrates outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. For the 2026 awards, over 3,600 applications were meticulously evaluated, with .lumen’s ‘Glasses for the Blind’ emerging as a standout pioneer in AI-based assistive technology.
The ‘Glasses for the Blind’ represent a significant leap forward in aiding visually impaired individuals. The device is engineered to mimic the behavior of a guide dog, utilizing an advanced combination of video cameras, spatial artificial intelligence, and haptic feedback to provide safe and effective guidance to blind users. A key feature of this innovation is its ability to function autonomously, requiring neither an internet connection nor any external infrastructure modifications. The core of this technology is the patented Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI) system, developed entirely by .lumen’s dedicated Romanian team.
Cornel Amariei, CEO and founder of .lumen, reflected on the journey to this achievement: ‘Two years ago, we attended CES Las Vegas for the first time. That experience changed us forever — the way we view technology, courage, and global impact. Today, we’re winners.’ This award underscores .lumen’s consistent trajectory as one of Europe’s most decorated deep-tech companies, lauded for both its technological prowess and profound social impact. The company’s impressive list of prior achievements includes the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge (Ethical AI Award, 2021), the Red Dot: Luminary Award, funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator, inclusion in the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers 2024 list, victory in the U.S. Army Pitching Competition at CES 2025, and receiving both the EIT Health Catalyst Award and the GITEX Global Supernova Digi Health Award.
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The CES 2026 Innovation Awards jury specifically highlighted .lumen’s crucial contribution to accessibility, acknowledging how its technology is set to empower blind and visually impaired individuals worldwide to lead more independent lives.
