Rob Karlovich is an inventor. Always was. As the third youngest in a family of nine children, he could not always have the toys he wanted, so he searched the basement for cast-off materials from which he could make those toys. He was the little boy who knew how to take the things apart and put them back together again. Natural talent. Added to that, he had the good fortune of loving parents and a mother who taught him daily by her example to take care of those who needed help. His life today is very much about taking care of others through the wizardry of LifeGlider.
When he saw a show about soldiers whose injuries took away their mobility, a documentary that implied these soldiers would not be able to take part of a life most of us take for granted, Rob knew what to do and how it would work. A mechanical engineer with a firm grounding in physics whose focus is machinery with stability, he set about to invent something that works to give people hands-free mobility, would align their center of gravity so they would be stable, something that would keep people from falling should they lose their grip or footing. How wonderful it would be he realized to let people focus on taking an active part in life rather than concentrating primarily on hanging on to a traditional walker or cane to keep from falling. LifeGlider is the result of what Rob Karlovich set out to do when he realized that he could not stand idly by when our soldiers were returning home injured and isolated. It is the dramatic success stories of people with slowly progressing peripheral neuropathy, CP, MS, spinal cord injuries and amputations that tell the Rob Karlovich story best.
Rob’s mother left this earth much too young thirty years ago, but her spirit is with him every day, and he credits her with his having made life better for so many others. His love letter to her will inspire the generations that have followed her.
Listening to Rob talk about his business is listening to Rob talk about people. Seeing the expression on his face as he talks about the LifeGlider is a lesson in the difference between a career and a calling.
