How  BLiNK Came to Be

Our Story

Introducing the Founder

Hi! My name is Devon Greco and I am the Founder and Lead Design Coordinator for BLiNK. Let me tell you my story… 

I have been interested in all types of technologies since I was a child. I took apart anything with a battery or a button and it took me a few more years to learn how to put things back together.  My Father introduced me to electronics at a very young age, which set the path for the rest of my life. He was the inspiration for so many projects like the electronic Voice Stress Analyzer, or Lie Detector, that I constructed for the 4th grade Science Fair. He taught me how to build my first computer and by age 10, I was building them on my own. At age 15, I became certified to work on computers and started a computer repair company, which kept me busy through high school.

Through college, I became a part of my Father's company where I was Technical Advisor for developing a system that monitors and interprets brain patterns to encourage a positive physiological change through feedback. This dream job allowed me to spread my wings and use my creativity in patenting new products.

On January 14, 2009, my Father, business partner, and role model was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, an immobilizing disease. This day changed us forever. As his muscles began to fade, so did our hope. Our business and personal relationship struggled especially after he was connected to a ventilator to keep breathing. Communication was impossible and he could not tell anyone what he needed. My Mother became really good at lip reading but I could never pick it up. 

My Father is the most generous, sincere, and kind-hearted person I know. He has given so much of himself to me and to so many people and deserves so much better. My Father, who could no longer speak or move and had spent every waking moment using his computer, was no longer able to hold or operate one. It became our mission to find or create technology to help him control a computer, to be able to type messages to speak, write emails, and control his environment like the lights, temperature, and television.

Fortunately, my father still had control of his eyes so we started researching available eye tracking equipment and quickly learned that there were a number of devices on the market. We tested many of the systems and found them to be complicated contraptions that primarily served the physically challenged. We also found confusing and bulky commercial communication systems, but at a price of up to $20,000, these systems were unreachable to most people in need. It did not take long for us to conclude that there had to be better way.

After considerable research and testing of various eye tracking technologies, collaboration with optics experts and making advancements to existing components, BLiNK was born. We are excited to offer BLiNK to anyone; people that will enjoy its benefits and even more to people that need it.