The alpha prototype meets all of our functional requirements, but there are still a few tweaks that would really make the cabinet user friendly and durable.
When turning the pulley handle, the user's hand collides with the cabinet door. To counteract this, we would add more vertical space between the bottom of the cabinet and the pulley handle.
The glides on the back of the cabinet are there for guiding the top shelf down, but they're currently metal on metal, which may become hard to move in the future. We would like to add a ball bearing system to ensure that the glides always move smoothly.
The cabinet's mechanisms are hidden from view when the cabinet door is closed, except for the pulley handle and cylinder. However, the inside of the cabinet is still unsightly. We're entertaining the thought of finding ways to hide the pulley system.