Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen has secured an €11mn grant to develop autonomous urban delivery robots, the company said on October 20.

The funding will support the PABLO – Autonomous Robots for Urban Delivery project. The project aims to develop a new generation of humanoid and quadruped robots capable of navigating pavements and crowded urban areas autonomously. The robots are intended to reduce delivery costs and times while minimising environmental impact, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional delivery fleets.

It is being supported under the European Union’s Intelligent Growth, Digitalisation and Financial Instruments Programme 2021-2027. The initiative brings together a consortium led by .lumen, alongside the Institute of Solid Mechanics of the Romanian Academy (IMSAR), BreadCrumbs Interactive, and Linnify.

“.lumen’s Pedestrian Autonomous Driving technology has helped visually impaired individuals move independently. Now we are extending it to reimagine urban logistics,” said Cornel Amariei, CEO and founder of .lumen.

.lumen, founded by Amariei, is known for its AI-powered glasses for the blind and specialises in autonomous mobility solutions. The PABLO project is the company’s first foray into urban logistics, with the potential to transform last-mile delivery across Europe.

The total project value is RON56.9mn (€11.3mn), with RON34.9mn in non-reimbursable funding from EU and national sources. The project will run from September 2025 to September 2028, and is expected to generate new software and hardware solutions, patents and three R&D positions.

Alexandru Gal, a researcher at IMSAR, said the project reflects close collaboration between academia and industry and represents a step toward building intelligent and competitive robotics systems in Romania.