Open Sourced Prosthetics.

For this weeks module, we discuss a man named Jonathan Kuniholm - an industrial designer, USMC vet, a prosthetic revolutionary, and an all around good guy.

It goes like this - Kuniholm, a USMC vet, goes back to school to get a degree in industrial design, works after a brief stent as a tackle designer, became bored with civilian life, and re-enlisted to regain that challenge in his life he had years back because he's a BAMF.  During New Years day in 2005, Kuniholm was ambushed by Iraqi insurgents who initiated an attack by setting off an IED which injured the majorty of his platoon and caused Kuniholm to lose his right arm. After a few muscle surgery's and  five months of rehabilitation, Kuniholm was fitted with a few prosthetic arms and began his re-entry into "civi life".

So, instead of just collecting his early medical discharge retirement. John, being the educated man he is, decides to use his smarts in order to make these outdated prosthetic better. This is when he joined a DARPA project called Revolutionizing Prosthetics in which Kuniholm utilized his diverse military and industrial designing backgrounds to helped in making these outdated prosthetics up to modern technological standards.Thus, The Open Prosthetics Project was born.

The Open Prosthetics Project, with the help of Kuniholm, are currently working on a variety of advancements for prosthetic technology. The first is a myoelectric, or "myo", prosthesis converts the movements of the muscles remaining in his arm into motorized hand and wrist movements. The second, is a body-powered prosthesis with cables and bands that allow him to shrug his shoulder and extend his arm. The third is a shorter arm useful for work and fun, allowing s person to hold a drawing pen or a guitar pick. There are currently a number of different improvements being worked on in this project from technologically advanced hybrid rubber materials to future nano-instrumentation's within the protheitics itself.

Cool huh.

 Open Prosthetics Project
www.openprosthetics.org