.lumen joins Europe’s VR Health Champions to build the next generation of glasses for the blind

 Co-funded by the European Union, the project will help us validate and refine the second-generation AI-powered glasses across countries, languages, and cultures. 

Cluj-Napoca, Romania, October 28, 2025 - .lumen, the Romanian deep-tech startup developing Glasses for the Blind is joining the €7.8 million program called VR Health Champions consortium as a new flagship SME.  

.lumen develops glasses that give the blind and visually impaired the freedom of mobility. Using Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI), the company’s patented technology brings the capabilities of a self-driving car into a wearable device, guiding users through real-world environments via gentle haptic feedback. 

“For thousands of years, the blind had only two tools: the cane and the guide dog. Yet there are only 28,000 guide dogs for over 300 million people. When we surpass 28,000 devices shipped, we will change a paradigm that’s millennia old,” said Cornel Amariei, CEO and founder of .lumen. 

Through the VR Health Champions project, .lumen will co-develop its second-generation product, smaller, more refined, and designed for global markets. The collaboration will enable testing across multiple countries, languages, and cultures, supporting international validation and user adaptation. 

“Europe has the talent and technology to lead in healthcare XR, what’s often missing are the bridges between innovators, healthcare systems and markets,” said Cristina Costa, Project Coordinator at VR Health Champions. “By connecting key players across regions and sectors, we are helping to create strong European value chains that support innovation, strengthen digital competitiveness, and enable healthcare systems to benefit from cutting-edge solutions. This initiative is about ensuring that Europe doesn’t just follow global trends in XR healthcare but actively shapes them.” 

“With VR Health Champions, we’re taking our next leap, building a globally scalable version of the .lumen glasses and learning from diverse environments. This project marks our first coordinated step towards global expansion, starting with Europe,” added Amariei. 

The partnership strengthens the consortium’s mission to accelerate the adoption of XR technologies in healthcare, improving accessibility and inclusion through innovation. 

VR Health Champions, co-funded by the European Union, is a European consortium connecting XR innovators, healthcare providers, and research institutions to develop, test, and deploy virtual and augmented reality solutions that enhance medical training, therapy, and patient care. 

The project recently launched its Open Call 2026, inviting SMEs and start-ups working with immersive healthcare technologies to apply for €60,000 in funding and partner with Europe’s top XR healthcare innovators to bring groundbreaking healthcare solutions to market. Applications are open until 30 November 2025.  

About .lumen 

.lumen is a Romanian research startup developing Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI), a technology first showcased through the .lumen Glasses for the Blind. Founded by Cornel Amariei, the company creates AI-powered mobility solutions that restore independence to the visually impaired. 

About VR Health Champions 

The 3-year project aims to break down market, clinical and regulatory barriers in healthcare across less developed regions of Central Eastern and Southern Europe, while fast-tracking the advancement of VR/AR applications.  

It focuses on five flagship SMEs  .lumen, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap, that are leading this transformation. The total project cost is estimated at €7.88 million, with €5.82 million co-funded by the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument under the European Regional Development Fund. We are committed to providing support to businesses undergoing transformations. 

Press Contact 

Bianca Iulia Simion | Chief Marketing Officer | .lumen | bianca@dotlumen.com |  www.dotlumen.com