Of arms and men: losing a limb in Iraq leads a Durham industrial designer on a quest to help amputees get a better grip on things.

Soon after he got back, he and his partners started the nonprofit Shared Design Alliance and its Open Prosthetics Project, an online forum for inventors, amputees and others interested in swapping ideas for improving artificial limbs. Crossen did much of the initial work, and Kuniholm has kept it going. It invites visitors to join "Pimp My Arm" or "Pimp My Leg" discussions. The goal is to lower entry barriers for products by providing a platform for low-cost experimentation and collaboration. None of the ideas that come from OPP are covered by patents, which can be costly to acquire and defend, but because they're published online, they can't be patented by others, Kuniholm says.

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Some OPP projects show promise and might produce revenue for Tackle Design, though probably not much. The company is working with an electrical engineer who is designing a circuit board that could make it possible to use myoelectric controls in toys and other devices. "Then maybe we could achieve some of the economies of scale that come with a larger market by adding additional audiences," Kuniholm says.

At the urging of a prosthetist in Fargo, N.D., who discovered him through OPP, Kuniholm is trying to bring back the Trautman hook. Introduced in the 1920s, the device is a voluntary-opening prosthetic, meaning its pincers are held closed with elastic bands. It has a back lock, which generates more pinching power after a user latches onto an object and pulls, and its serrated teeth interlock, giving it a strong grip. Such rugged and practical features developed a passionate following among farmers and ranchers in the Midwest. But the manufacturer went out of business in the 1990s. The prosthetist offered to pay for a prototype, and Tackle Design agreed to do the design work for free--as long as the results stayed in the public domain.

While other companies make similar backlocking hooks, Kuniholm says they're bulkier and heavier than the Trautman hook. Tackle Design reverse-engineered the device and created a computer-assisted design model it could then improve upon. Kuniholm enlisted Boulder, Colo.-based Rapid Tool, which makes production molds for machine parts, to build four prototypes. He gave them to amputees for a tryout, and based on their feedback, industrial-engineering students at State are smoothing the rough edges. Kuniholm expects to make a production run of about 16 by the end of May and charge $150 per hook.

He also is working to refine the elastic bands used with most voluntary-opening prosthetic hooks, including the Trautman. He experimented with different types of tubing until he came across one made of silicone with the right strength, durability and elasticity. He needed a machine to efficiently cut the tubing to appropriate lengths, so he enlisted the aid of biomedical-engineering students at Duke.

Once the machine is ready, probably this spring, the bands will be produced by OE Enterprises, a Hillsborough nonprofit that employs disabled people for subcontracting services such as assembly and packaging. Details about how to carve up any proceeds haven't been worked out, but OE plans to sell the bands through its Web site. "OE Enterprises specializes in the companies that fall through the cracks," Sales Manager Alan Pitstick says. "We get in on the ground floor and grow with a company in a partnership and help make the project profitable."

Kuniholm isn't holding his breath. Tackle Design's main effort to bring in more money involves trying to win more consulting business from inventors of medical devices, especially doctors. "We're trying to get a push going right now to advertise in the hospitals, because doctors have more money than your typical crazy inventor and probably also have a better idea of what they really need."

What the company needs most now might be a real businessman to keep an eye on the bottom line. Messer left the company last fall to co-host the Discovery Channel show Smash Lab. Crossen and Webb are busy with projects taken in-house by clients. All are still partners but spend little, if any, time on Tackle Design. Only Sean Hilliard, a graduate of State's industrial-design program who came on board last year, works there full time.

Messer doubts that he'll return, but he's proud of the work done there such as the phototherapy light and OPP. And though it ended up creating tension, he sees value in the company's relaxed attitude toward money. "If you're solely interested in turning a profit, you often don't take the risks that you need to in order to find yourself as a company--or as people. By exploring lots of different things and being willing to take risks, we were able to do some things that were innovative."

If that lands you on TV, it probably seems like a pretty good gambit. If not, maybe it makes sense, at some point, to make some changes and indulge your passion less often. Kuniholm says he's ready to do that. For Tackle Design to survive, he might have to fill the leadership vacuum. But he's not crazy about the idea. "If you know somebody who feels like investing a bunch of money in this and being a taskmaster and doing the stuff that nobody wants to do, let me know. We'd love to have that guy."

RELATED ARTICLE: GETTING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

Hand amputees have numerous replacement options, but none are perfect. Here's a sampling of what's in use:

TRAUTMAN HOOK

Introduced in the 1920s, it has a back lock that generates more pinching power after a user latches onto an object and pulls, and its serrated teeth interlock, giving it a strong grip. Its maker went out of business in the 1990s, but Tackle Design is trying to bring it back.

Out of production

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SPLIT HOOK

Favored by Kuniholm and many other amputees for its ease of use and low maintenance costs, it's also durable and lightweight, compared with electric hands. But it's less visually appealing and is more likely to scratch or get caught on other objects.

Price: $4,000 to $7,000

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GREIFER

It has a powerful pliers-like grip and is able to pick up small objects. But it doesn't look like a real hand and is heavier and much more expensive than a hook. Because it's powered by electricity, it's more sensitive to excessive moisture.

Price: $20,000 to $30,000

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ELECTRIC HAND

More cosmetically appealing than the other gripping devices, but it's heavier and less functional. Often operates more slowly. Seeing what's being grasped is more difficult. Users must take more care to avoid water and excessive heat.

Price: $15,000 to $30,000

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