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`Otto Bock Exhibit 2007 Page 1
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`

`

`Two-Part Harmony
`
`CA St. Cloud company’s latest innovation is helping enhance the quality of life
`for amputees worldwide.
`
`ince losing his lower left leg in an accident more than 40
`years ago, Carl Caspers has been confronted every day by
`the same difficult decision: “Self—limit my activity, or pay
`a big price.”
`The price to which he’s referring is the chronic, often unbear—
`able pain caused by his prosthesis chafing against his residual
`limb. The majority of below—the—knee amputees suffer similar—
`ly, Caspers reports, and learn to plan their daily activity accord—
`ing to the number of relatively pain—free steps they can take on
`their prostheses. Some below—the-knee amputees—between 25
`and 35 percent—give in to the chronic pain and don’t use their
`prostheses at all.
`“It’s the side of prosthetics most people don’t see,” says
`Caspers, 61, who has refused to modify his lifestyle and rou—
`tinely plays racquetball, bench presses 350 pounds, and pushes
`more than 1,000 pounds on a leg press. As a result, however,
`he’s paid the price. “I’ve had a lot of sores,” he says. “I’ve had a
`lot of surgeries to correct cysts and tissue breakdowns because
`I wasn’t smart enough to quit.”
`
`ntil recently, that is. Today, Caspers puts in a full day’s work
`without adjusting his prosthesis, works out vigorously in
`the evening, and returns home pain-free—day—in, day—out. He
`has himself, in large part, to thank for his radical lifestyle change.
`Caspers is CEO of TEC (Total Environment Control) Inter—
`face Systems, a St. Cloud company that makes cutting—edge
`prosthetic devices. In July, the company introduced its Har—
`mony Socket Enhancement System, a weight—activated “shock—
`absorber” that uses vacuum pump technology (called VASS,
`Vacuum Assisted Socket System) to maintain a snug fit between
`stump and socket.
`For Caspers, the Harmony marks the end of a long quest to
`create a tighter limb—prosthesis link that could withstand vol—
`ume fluctuations in the residual limb. The volume change is
`caused when pressure exerted on the limb forces body fluids
`upward in the leg, thereby changing the limb’s size (by 6 to 12
`percent) and loosening the prosthesis.
`Caspers first addressed this problem with the product that
`launched TEC, which he cofounded in 1989 with his son—in—
`
`law, Scott Schneider. Caspers developed a urethane liner that
`distributed pressure across a wider surface area and provided a
`tighter fit. Yet, like all other prosthetic developments to that
`point, the liner could accommodate volume change, not manage
`it. Conversely, the Harmony reduces residual—limb volume loss
`to less than 1 percent, according to research by TEC and St.
`Cloud State University’s Performance Laboratory of Minnesota.
`TEC’s revolutionary product was greeted with instant favor
`by the marketplace. Prior to the Harmony’s release, TEC had
`projected sales of $4.2 million in 2001. Shortly after the Har—
`mony hit the market, the company boosted its projections to
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`HENl‘IONNHOl‘ASHdVHDOIOHd
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`Carl Caspers, CEO,TEC Interface Systems
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`$6.2 million. For 2002, TEC projects a 37 percent sales increase,
`to $8.5 million.
`
`For Caspers and Schneider, the reward is not only financial—
`it’s professional. “We deal with a lot of older people who, in
`addition to being amputees, have little going for them—they
`have poor circulation and balance, and their hearing’s not too
`good. Anything we can do to help them live more comfortably
`is essential,” Caspers says. “We also deal with young cancer and
`accident victims who are looking at 40, 50, 60 years of prosthetic
`usage. They need, first, good surgery to prepare them for a pros—
`thesis, and second, excellent prosthetic technology to make sure
`that the prices they pay aren’t too severe.”
`
`—Andrew Boles/mi
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`Winter 2002
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`MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY 7
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`Otto Bock
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`Exhibit 2007
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`PageZ
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`Otto Bock Exhibit 2007 Page 2
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