Following the four 2nd Round Prototypes, the Helping Hand was chosen over the digi-scribe, gait harness, and pt bands. The biggest flaw in this prototype was that the gas spring was too strong and could have also used more damping. Weaker springs were ordered but were not shipped in time for for the 4th Round Prototype. Pinch points could easily occur if the fingers got caught between the linkages when the leg folds up. Only one side was created for this round due to 3-D printing difficulties.
The geometry for Round 3 was calculated using Solidworks. The mounts were 3-D printed and were generally pretty sturdy. The mounts relied upon friction to keep the entire apparatus from moving relative to the walker. The linkages were all laser cut to size and did not break even with the strong gas spring.
