Europe arrives at CES 2026 with deeptech and accessibility in the spotlight
As CES 2026 opened in Las Vegas this week, European startups and scaleups used the world’s biggest consumer technology show to push beyond flashy gadgets and into a clear theme: practical deeptech aimed at security, energy efficiency, and accessibility. France led the European presence with roughly 150 companies on the show floor, outpacing Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK, according to figures cited by event organizers and national delegations. Government-backed pavilions and minister-level attendance underscored how aggressively some countries—particularly France—are using CES as a global commercial stage.
The European contingent leaned heavily into applied artificial intelligence, novel biometrics, indoor energy harvesting, and assistive wearables. Several exhibitors arrived with fresh funding rounds, grants, and early commercial traction, reflecting a broader push to translate lab-grade innovation into deployable products.
Brainwave authentication: replacing passwords with neural signatures
Among the more unconventional security demonstrations came from Paris-based neurotech startup Yneuro. Founded in 2019 by Thomas Semah, the company is developing “neural signature” authentication designed to eliminate traditional passwords. The concept hinges on EEG sensors embedded in everyday devices, which capture distinctive brainwave patterns and convert them into cryptographic authentication keys.
Yneuro says its system, branded Neuro ID®, is intended to be harder to replicate than fingerprints and resistant to phishing because the “password” is generated from a user’s brain activity rather than typed or spoken. At CES 2026, the company invited attendees to generate a neural signature in real time, showing how raw EEG signals can be transformed into an authentication credential.
While the approach remains early-stage relative to mainstream biometric deployments, the pitch reflects rising enterprise interest in passwordless security and stronger defenses against social engineering and credential theft.
Battery-free IoT: harvesting indoor light for perpetual sensors
Another French company drawing attention was Grenoble-based clean energy startup Dracula Technologies, founded in 2017 by Brice Cruchon. The company develops organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials designed to harvest ambient indoor light—powering small electronics and sensors without disposable batteries.
Its latest platform, LAYER® V2.0, claims roughly a 30% performance improvement over prior iterations and the ability to operate in very low-light environments, down to 5 lux—conditions typical of dim indoor settings. The company argues this capability could unlock long-lived IoT deployments in industrial sites, logistics facilities, and smart buildings where battery replacement is costly or impractical.
In October 2025, Dracula Technologies announced a €30 million Series A extension led by Banque des Territoires under France’s 2030 innovation initiative, with participation from MGI Digital Technology and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund. The funding is intended to accelerate commercialization of battery-free IoT applications.
Haptic navigation: building a new sensory channel for the blind
Accessibility technology also featured prominently. Paris-based startup Seehaptic, operating under the brand Artha, demonstrated a wearable navigation system for blind and visually impaired users that relies on touch rather than audio cues. Founded in 2018 by Rémi du Chalard, the system combines a small camera clipped to eyeglasses with AI-driven scene understanding and a haptic belt worn around the lower back.
The company uses custom neural networks to translate 3D environmental data into a proprietary tactile “code,” communicating spatial information via subtle vibrations. The approach is designed to leverage neuroplasticity so users can build intuitive spatial awareness after days of practice, effectively adding a non-visual, non-audio navigation channel.
On-device voice restoration: whisper-to-speech AI without the cloud
From the Netherlands, Amsterdam-based speech accessibility startup Whispp showcased on-device AI that converts whispered or dysphonic speech into natural-sounding voiced audio while preserving a user’s voice identity. Founded in 2019 by Joris Castermans, the company says its models are trained on speech pathology datasets and can generate intelligible speech with latency under 100 milliseconds.
A key design choice is that processing happens entirely on-device, avoiding cloud transmission and enabling use without an internet connection—an advantage for privacy-sensitive users and clinical contexts. Whispp raised a €750,000 seed round in January 2024 led by LUMO Labs, with support from Leiden University (LEH) and angel investors, to advance an assistive calling application and expand across the US and European markets.
AI concierge for hospitality: reading context, not just requests
Italy’s presence included Innovatech, a hospitality technology company founded in 2018 by Giuseppe Giorgianni. The company presented KELLY, an AI “digital concierge” designed for hotels and other service environments. The platform combines computer vision, natural language processing, and behavioral analytics to interpret guest interactions in real time.
Innovatech says KELLY can detect frustration before a complaint is voiced, recognize returning guests, and recall preferences such as room conditions or accessibility needs. The company is targeting mid- to luxury-tier hospitality chains and exploring adjacent use cases in retail and healthcare.
AI glasses for independent mobility: cameras, lasers, and edge compute
Romania’s Bucharest-based startup .Lumen, founded in 2020 by Cornel Amariei, drew crowds with AI-powered wearable glasses aimed at enabling blind and visually impaired users to navigate without canes, guide dogs, or audio prompts. The device combines multiple cameras, infrared lasers for low-light operation, inertial sensors, and an onboard NVIDIA GPU that processes environmental data at high frequency.
.Lumen says the system adapts pedestrian autonomy techniques to detect obstacles, identify crossings, read signage, and anticipate hazards. The company reported a €5 million equity round in January 2025 led by Catalyst Romania, the EIC Fund, and Tigrim Capital, plus €1 million raised via SeedBlink. It also secured an additional €11 million EU grant in October 2025 for a related robotics project. The product earned CES 2026 Innovation Awards honoree status in Accessibility & Longevity, with CE certification and plans to pursue US regulatory clearance in 2026.
Europe’s CES message: deeptech with a path to deployment
Across the show floor, Europe’s strongest demonstrations shared a common thread: technology designed to move from prototype to real-world environments—factories, hospitals, hotels, and daily life for people with disabilities. With governments increasingly treating startup exports as strategic assets, CES 2026 became less a consumer gadget showcase and more a statement of industrial intent.
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