Nick Gompertz

“I believe that innovators are bound by the feeling that “There must be a better way..” and then strive to find that way. Peter was clearly the archetypal proponent of this, and I hope to continue in a minor way in his wake.

I’ve been inspired by people who break through the barriers of communication despite adversity through illness and birth trauma. I first believed I may be able to help when, 30 years ago, as a medical student, I met people with MND/ALS who were losing the ability to use their communication typewriter.

5 years ago I had that “there must be a better way” moment, whilst watching a childrens TV documentary about Jonathan Bryan. Jonathan was born with cerebral palsy and is non-verbal. At age 7 his mother, Chantal, took him out of his school to teach him to read and write by gazing at individual letters stuck onto a Perspex board. At age 13 Jonathan’s intelligence was unveiled to the world with his book “Eye Can Write”, spelt out one letter at a time.

EarSwitch was born the next day with the Amazon delivery of a digital otoscope (an ear camera designed to check for ear wax). I discovered that we could help people to communicate using earphones that detect the squeezing of a tiny muscle in the ear.

I am now full time founder and CEO of EarSwitch Ltd, having been a NHS doctor for 30 years.

Our aim at EarSwitch is to empower everyone by:

giving everyone the right and tools to be able to interact with the world (augmenting the human whether encumbered by a disability or not)

giving everyone reliable and improved health monitoring irrespective of skin colour, disability or digital exclusion.

It is a honour to help progress Peter’s legacy, and I am only sad that we weren't able to meet and help him.