My name is Bruce Roberts. I am an electronics engineer living in Silicon Valley. I had an accident in 2009, which left me partially paralyzed. I was on a ladder in my backyard, pruning my apricot tree, when I fell headfirst to the ground. This resulted in breaking my neck. I was rushed to the emergency room for immediate surgery, where the medical staff was able to save my life. But for 2 months, I was totally paralyzed from the neck down. Thinking about what my future held, I was at probably the lowest point in my life, both physically and mentally. I was devastated by the thought of a very bleak future.
But after 2 months, I looked down and was able to move my left toe. I was so excited, and it gave me new hope.
As the swelling in my neck slowly started to go down, my function started to come back. So, I worked myself to exhaustion every day and was finally able to sit up in bed by myself. Over time, I was able to transfer to a wheelchair, which I was confined to for almost a year. Soon after, I was able to graduate to a walker.
Fast-forward to today: I finally graduated to forearm crutches, for which I am grateful. That’s how I get around today.
How did I start my business?
Any handicapped person going out in a public setting is faced with a challenge. Especially getting to and from restrooms.
Going to the restroom in public is difficult to negotiate. It takes planning, especially if the restroom is out of sight down a hall or even in another room. Knowing that I wasn’t the only one having this issue, I knew I had to come up with a way to show ahead of time if the restroom was occupied. I realized that handicapped people weren’t the only ones with this problem. As it turns out, it’s everybody’s problem.
So, I put my years of engineering skills to work and built a prototype using an old, used garage door opener. The first several units I built failed miserably, but over time, I “failed my way to success.”
There was an added bonus for me personally. It didn’t take long to realize that the work I was doing was good therapy to get my mind off the pain I was going through with my recovery. But knowing that my new invention would help improve the lives of every human being who uses single-stall restrooms was personally rewarding.
A red and green light was the answer. It turned out that all restroom users greatly benefit from this affordable device.
Other Information
Innovative Features
The Heads Up Lock is the only reliable device that shows the status of a locked door in a single-stall restroom from a distance. It offers high reliability and 100% accuracy, and once installed, it requires zero maintenance. If building power is lost, the Heads Up Lock system will automatically reset itself when power is restored.
Safe and low voltage, it comes in a kit, shows instant feedback to employees and customers, and is easy to install by any qualified handyman.
How is Bruce doing today?
There are two most important dates in everyone’s life: the day you were born, and the day you discover why you were born. I believe I have discovered why I was born. That is, to help make life a little more comfortable for all.
I am convinced that every day God has given me both a challenge and an immeasurable gift at the same time. I’ve been stretched to what I thought were my limits and found I had more. I am grateful to have the limited function that I have. That is, being able to get around without requiring a wheelchair, having most bodily functions, and having close friends and family. But most of all, the ability to think of how fortunate I am to be able to give back.
I’m livin’, lovin’, and learnin’. What more can one ask?