By Open HouseWednesday 21 Jan 2015Open House InterviewsInspirational StoriesReading Time: 2 minutes
Peter Ford has found himself in many occupations, from medical student to television news reader to an anchor on the wildly successful satellite program CNN. His more recent endeavours see him working with some of the most brilliant minds on the planet to develop a neurologically powered device that connects those suffering from chronic illness and disability to reach out into the world they may have lost touch with.
It was one trip to America in 1968, a revolutionary year for history in America that shifted Peter’s medical dreams to journalism. It was in this period of his life that Peter discovered his desire to take life-changing events and make them accessible and understandable to everyone. Insanely dedicated and driven, Peter worked in press, radio and television, moving on to lead the news coverage in Australia and ascending to a main anchoring position in the newly established CNN network. He credits his success to his Australian mentors Roger Clinton & Brian Henderson whose journalistic skill and amicable demeanour shaped Peter’s approach to news presentation.
However, it is Peter’s passion for connecting the chronically ill and physically disabled that has fuelled his partnership with Steven Hawking to create the NeuroSwitch. Peter Ford reflects “we have a tool with technology to enable any human to reach out across their own barriers (body shutting down, paralysis, brain injury, etc) and what we can do is send a communication cable to them so they can communicate with the world.” Regular Assistant Technology in hospitals allows the patient to write words with a simple action, such as the push of a button. Yet, for those with Motor Neuron Disease, paralysis and some gunshot victims, even these basic movements can be impossible. The NeuroSwitch harnesses the electrical signals from the brain to muscles (even if the muscle no longer works) via non-invasive sensors to act as the switch allowing them to write messages, send and receive emails, send text messages and even surf the web. Peter believes the NeuroSwitch will enable anybody to communicate and say the most important thing any human being wants to say, “I am here and I matter.”
Already, Peter’s dreams are coming true with testimonies of the success of the NeuroSwitch streaming in from across the world. You can learn more about the Neuroswitch on his website.