June w1 2025

Really excellent hardware week! We tested out the new zipper-based closures system using the final rivets that we’ll actually use for the study, and it’s working really well. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to squeeze into the first print we got back, but turns out I can, and it leaves pretty interesting patterns on my feet where it was tightest. Getting over the fact that this one it a bit too tight, the ease of donning with a zipper is now making me curious if an invisalign-like approach will make sense (where there’s no adjustability, just multiple garments), or if we can make the velcro low-profile enough and strong enough. Ultimately I think velcro will be the way to go because of how much swelling can change over the course of the day, but it’s interesting to think about. Bought parts to test it. The new photos (with the clean rivets on either side of the zipper) are of this prototype. Also testing out some new local manufacturers, will have to see how they stack up.