Lowering Mechanism Torsion Springs Reverse Cam Hydraulic Piston Clock Spring Padded Free Fall String
Torsion Springs + Easily made as bolt- on - Weight may cause need for more resistance - Torsion springs need to be very strong
Reverse Cam + Smooth motion + Easily manufactured - Requires significant force - Will generate much wear
Hydraulic Piston + Easily regulates closing speed - Not simple to “bolt-on” - Obtrusive and large - Possibly expensive
Clock Spring + Easily reset + Easily incorporated into seat design - Damping may be difficult - Design by trial & error
Padded Free Fall + Seat stops with no noise or damage + Low cost / simple - Uninteresting
String + Inexpensive - Easy to break - may still slam - Uninteresting
Timing Mechanism Falling Piston Ball Maze Kitchen Timer Falling Liquid/Sand Falling Weights
Falling Piston + Reset is feasible - Cost may be high - May be too large & obtrusive
Ball Maze + Very neat and fun + Visually pleasing (if Plexiglas idea is used - May be loud - Reset may be a problem with manual override - Seat may be too thick
Kitchen Timer + Accurate + Adjustable - Difficult to attach - Difficult to reset
Falling liquid/sand + Self contained - Seat may be too thick - May be difficult to reset quickly - Locking pin may complicate manual override
Falling Weights + Release and timing are integrated already - May be obtrusive - Two different orientations may cause problems
Locking Mechanism Spring/Ball Bearing Lock Spring-loaded Pin Lever attached to seat Divot in Reverse Cam None (Equilibrium)
Spring/Ball Bearing Lock + Very easy for manual override - May not last long - May get dirty inside
Spring-loaded Pin + Very simple & self contained - Too difficult to manually override
Lever + Very simple & self contained - May cause problems with manual override
Divot in Reverse Cam + Smooth locking + Easily overcome by human means - Not easily overcome mechanically
None (Equilibrium) + Very simple + Looks like regular toilet seat - Trigger from timer is less predictable seat to seat