Nathan Clark knows what it’s like to slice a finger while dicing a tomato.

“I have lots of personal experience with that,” he said.

So the Kansas University senior designed a gadget to protect his extremities while preparing dinner.

The gadget — which he calls Talos — recently placed second in the National Student Design Competition sponsored by the International Housewares Assn. Clark will receive $1,500 for the honor.

He also received a trip Jan. 12-14 to Chicago to show off his device to the 55,000 industry representatives expected to be at the show. That could lead to a production deal, if Talos catches the eye of the right company official.

“Somebody could come up to you and say, ‘Hey, we really like your idea, we’d like to license it,’ or ‘We want to hire you to have you develop that product,'” Clark said. “It opens the door to the possibility of marketing.”

Clark, an industrial design major from Topeka, developed Talos during the fall semester as part of his Studio III class. Each student was assigned to develop a kitchen gadget for the housewares show. His was the only device from KU selected as a winner.

Talos — the name came from a list of Greek names Clark found on a Web site — is a glove-like device that slips over a cook’s thumb and index finger. A fruit or vegetable is pressed up against Talos to ensure fingers aren’t too close to the food — and to the knife.

Kansas University senior Nathan Clark, Topeka, demonstrates how the Talos, a gadget to protect his fingers, works. Clark received ,500 for placing second in the National Student Design Competition.

His initial model for Talos was hard plastic, but the actual product would be flexible.

“Kids always want to help in the kitchen, and old folks try to stay independent and cook on their own,” Clark said. “This tool will allow safety for kids cutting and people with shaky hands.”

Talos was Clark’s third choice for a household project. His first two — a device to automatically dice tomatoes and a cutting board that holds food in place — proved too difficult.

The first-place national winner was the Delicato, a clothes hamper for delicate items that turns into a washer that operates similarly to a salad spinner. It was designed by a graduate student at San Jose State University.

Others receiving honors included a countertop refrigeration unit for fruit, an ironing board for elderly and disabled people, a portable dental hygiene kit, an electrical outlet system that attaches under cabinets and a litter box that hides dirty cat litter from view.

Past winners of the competition, which began in 1993, have gone on to work in the industry. They include an University of Illinois graduate who is senior brand manager for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. and a San Jose State University graduate who designs special effects models for George Lucas films.

Ron Kemnitzer, professor of design, said Clark’s gadget left him thinking, “I wish I would have thought of that.”

¢More about the competition

“I think it’s very unique in its simplicity,” Kemnitzer said. “Often the injuries that get the most attention and the most recognition are the ones that people tend to overlook and accept as part of life. Nate did a good job of finding something simple that will make a difference.”

Kemnitzer said KU has had winners in the competition every year since he started entering projects eight years ago. One student, who designed a personal dishwasher that fits in a sink, almost signed a deal with a major company for production, he said.

“That does happen — it happens every once in a while,” he said. “But there’s a lot of people there, and they get job opportunities. From that standpoint, it opens up a lot bigger possibilities.”