Insider Brief
- Romanian startup .lumen secured a €11 million grant for “PABLO – Autonomous Robots for Urban Delivery,” a 2025–2028 program to build humanoid and quadruped sidewalk delivery robots with a national consortium.
- The project totals 56,856,649.01 RON with 34,987,312.27 RON in non-reimbursable funding (21,309,568.52 RON EU + 13,677,743.75 RON national), running Sept. 16, 2025–Sept. 15, 2028.
- Led by .lumen with IMSAR, BreadCrumbs Interactive, and Linnify, the effort extends PAD AI navigation to last-mile logistics to cut delivery costs and times, reduce environmental impact, and produce a full software-hardware stack plus new R&D roles and IP.
PRESS RELEASE Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, best known for its AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured an €11 million grant for the project “PABLO – Autonomous Robots for Urban Delivery”, funded under the Intelligent Growth, Digitalization, and Financial Instruments Program 2021–2027.
The project brings together a consortium led by .lumen, alongside the Institute of Solid Mechanics of the Romanian Academy (IMSAR), BreadCrumbs Interactive (fleet management software), and Linnify (responsible for the development of the delivery app). Together, the teams are developing a new generation of humanoid and quadruped robots for urban delivery, designed to navigate autonomously on sidewalks and through crowded areas, offering a sustainable, efficient alternative to traditional delivery fleets.
“We’ve proven that PAD AI technology can help visually impaired individuals move independently. Now, we’re extending it to reimagine how goods move in cities. Imagine humanoid and quadruped robots walking on sidewalks, delivering your food or groceries,”said Cornel Amariei, CEO and founder of .lumen
“The PABLO project reflects our mission to turn fundamental research into real technological applications, through close collaboration between academia and industry. This synergy is an essential step in strengthening Romania’s ability to develop intelligent, sustainable, and competitive systems at a European level in robotics and autonomous mobility,” said Alexandru Gal, Researcher at IMSAR
With a total project value of 56,856,649.01 RON, of which 34,987,312.27 RON is non-reimbursable funding (21,309,568.52 RON from EU funds and 13,677,743.75 RON from the national budget), the project will run from September 16, 2025, to September 15, 2028, under the code MySMIS 333334.
The goal of the project is to develop an autonomous urban delivery solution, powered by intelligent humanoid and quadruped robots capable of reducing delivery costs and times, minimizing environmental impact, and meeting the growing demand for fast, flexible, and sustainable services. Expected outcomes include a complete software and hardware system for autonomous robots, the creation of three new R&D positions, a family of national and international patents, and copyright protection for AI-based pedestrian navigation software.
Through this project, Romania takes a major step toward turning autonomous robotics into a practical, real-world tool for urban life. In a global race to develop humanoid robots, Romania focuses on making them truly useful and tangible, technologies that bring real value to everyday life. By automating last-mile delivery, the project could offer Europe a strategic advantage and transform Romanian deep-tech into a model of sustainable urban logistics.
