This book depicts the trials and tribulations when trying to restore speech to Erik who was locked-in (paralyzed and mute) at age 16. We implanted electrodes into his brain, initiating a decade of breakthrough research in speech recovery. It lead to the author''s own brain implant and the consequent successful offline development of the speech prosthetic whereby mute, locked-in people can speak. Part 1 is Erik''s story of how he became locked-in following a brainstem stroke, and our efforts to break him out of his locked-in state by helping him speak. It describes my decision making, the tremendous contribution of his family, their anguish and the very relevant comparison with famous locked-in people, namely, Stephen Hawking and Jean-Dominique Bauby (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Part 2 documents conversations between myself and Erik''s Dad, Eddie. Eddie describes how he was trained in a rehabilitation hospital to take care of his son. His 16-year devotion to his son is unparalleled and heroic. This part also contains important contributions from other researchers in the field, in a question and answer format. Part 3 is a condensed version of the scientific aspects of this research written for the non-scientist. Figures and videos on the website augment the text. Importantly, there is a full documentary associated with this book.
Industry Reviews
This book has come at an important time in the evolution of the brain machine interface Unlocking Erik tells the story from the human side both in terms of Erik himself as the subject, and Dr. Kennedy as the pioneer. It is a journey of quiet and slow discovery, and has taken courage and risk from all sides. -- Professor Alexander Green, Neurosurgeon, University of Oxford, England.
With Dr. Kennedy widely regarded as one of the pioneers of this technology, he is uniquely placed to discuss the far-reaching consequences and ramifications of BCI, and this certainly helped attract the funding we needed to begin production of the documentary that tracks early breakthroughs in the field. -- David Burke,Dot Television, Ireland
Finally, with all the excitement of machine learning, we shouldnt forget that we are talking about connecting to a neural network with more capabilities and far more creativity than anything that Google has made the human brain! So lets try to not forget the brains ability to learn. -- Andrew Jackson, Professor of Neural Interfaces, University of Newcastle, U.K.
"We know that neurons involved in internal "thinking" are also clearly controllable. As explored in Phil Kennedy's study of Erik, the neurons involved in generating speech are a particularly important group of volitionally controllable neurons for speech prostheses." -- Eberhard Fetz
"This book tells a remarkable story. There is a group of patients rendered unable to communicate by a brutal medical misfortune. There is a new therapy involving special equipment... and there is the physician who manages their care... Dr. Kennedy has achieved remarkable success with his brain machine interfaces. He remains focused on the tremendous value of restoring speech to patients who are trapped inside their own bodies..." -- Thomas Wichmann
