.lumen - the Romanian startup that invented the first smart glasses that aid the mobility of the blind, has scored yet another success this year by joining NVIDIA Inception, a program designed to nurture startups who are revolutionizing industries with advancements in AI and data sciences.
The company is focused on creating the first scalable and highly available technology solution that replicates the main features of a guide dog, using advanced artificial intelligence and robotics technologies in a pair of glasses.
With more than 40 million blind people worldwide and only two solutions available for their mobility - the cane and the guide dog - the visually impaired also have to face other challenges, such as the cost of training guide dogs, which are substantial (up to $60,000), and the drawbacks of availability, scalability, and maintenance, all of which severely limit access to such a solution. For this reason, there are 40,000,000 blind people and only 20,000 guide dogs in the world.
The .lumen solution is a pair of glasses that contextually understands the world, calculates how the user can interact with it, processes and stores data internally, and transfers relevant information using haptic and auditory feedback.
NVIDIA Inception will provide .lumen with support to drive the business forward through the go-to-market process, training, or technical assistance. The program will also offer the opportunity to collaborate with industry-leading experts and other AI-driven organizations.
“We are excited to have NVIDIA as a partner in our mission to push artificial intelligence and autonomous machines, in the benefit of people with disabilities”
– Cornel Amariei, CEO & Founder of .lumen expressed his opinion on the partnership between NVIDIA and the Romanian startup.
NVIDIA Inception is a program that helps startups during critical stages of product development, prototyping, and deployment. Every Inception member gets a custom set of ongoing benefits, such as NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute credits, marketing support, and technical assistance, which provides startups with the fundamental tools to help them grow.