.lumen expands to Japan with support from Toyota Mobility Foundation

First commercial steps in Japan continue this autumn, as .lumen advances its local market presence and brings the Glasses closer to Japanese users and partners.

CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA, 20 August 2026: .lumen, the Romanian deep-tech company developing Pedestrian Autonomous Driving technology, first showcased in the Glasses for the Blind, is expanding its activities in Japan with support from Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) through its Mobility for ALL project.

The next phase will bring the .lumen team to Japan on three separate occasions this autumn, continuing the company’s first commercial steps in the country. Working directly with blind people, accessibility organisations and potential local partners, .lumen will gather insights to support product adaptation and advance its next steps in the Japanese market.

.lumen will also participate in the Sight World conference in Tokyo in October 2026, where members of Japan’s blind and low-vision community, accessibility professionals and potential partners will be able to experience the technology.

“The last time we were in Japan, we put the .lumen Glasses through more than 100 kilometres of challenging real-world conditions. This autumn, we are returning three times to bring the technology closer to commercialization. Bringing the .lumen Glasses to Japan has always been one of our biggest dreams,” said Cornel Amariei, Founder and CEO of .lumen.

The .lumen Glasses use artificial intelligence, computer vision and haptic guidance to help blind people walk independently, avoid obstacles and reach their destinations. The technology translates information from the surrounding environment into directional signals perceived through the forehead, reproducing key guidance functions associated with a guide dog. To date, it has been experienced by more than 1,000 blind individuals from over 40 countries.

This new stage builds on .lumen’s previous work in Japan. In 2024, the company completed more than 100 kilometres of real-world evaluation across Tokyo and the Mount Fuji area with support from Toyota Mobility Foundation.

This project is supported by Toyota Mobility Foundation.

About .lumen

.lumen is a Romanian deep-tech company developing Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI), bringing the principles of autonomous driving to pedestrian mobility. Its flagship product, the .lumen Glasses for the Blind, uses artificial intelligence and haptic guidance to reproduce the main functions of a guide dog in a scalable wearable device.

The Glasses are CE-certified as a medical device and have been tested by more than 1,000 blind participants across over 40 countries.

About Toyota Mobility Foundation

Toyota Mobility Foundation was established in August 2014 to support public-interest initiatives that address mobility challenges and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable society. Working with diverse partners around the world, TMF applies technology, field testing and human-centered collaboration to help more people experience the freedom and possibility created by mobility.