Romanian startup invents glasses for the blind

A Romanian startup called Lumen has invented the first innovative glasses for the blind. The glasses have an assistive technology system that helps blind people’s mobility.

The glasses basically are an alternative solution to having a guide dog because they replicate their main features, such as understanding the environment, the movement of objects, the objects, and their position. They are able to scan the environment using sensory and feedback systems and then send this information using haptic and auditory impulses. The startup creators say that this is similar to when a guide dog gives information to its owner by pulling their hand.

In addition, 5 different cameras read and then create a map of the environment, they determine the user’s position and their environment. The users then receive instructions that help them navigate.

Would the glasses be a better solution than guide dogs? The inventors believe so. In comparison, a guide dog is pricier as it costs more to train and care for. In addition, because most blind people are not able to care for their own guide dogs, only 20,000 blind people out of 40 million in the world use guide dogs.

The startup plans to launch the product on an industrial scale next year and to sell it in the second half of 2021. The glasses have been so far tested on 200 blind people from Romania and abroad and 2000 further tests will be done by next year. Lumen has received investments of over 1 million euros and will extend its team to 100 employees.

At the moment there are 40 million blind people in the world and by 2050 the number might increase to 100 million.