Flatland Lock

thingiverse

The 3D printed lock draws inspiration from the Bank Raid puzzle featured in Ivan Moscovich's "Leonardo’s Mirror & Other Puzzles." This puzzle was itself influenced by Edwin Abbott Abbott's thought-provoking novel, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions," which explores the complexities of a two-dimensional world. The individual pieces of the lock can move up, down, left or right along their designated paths. Each piece has small protrusions on its backside, allowing them to glide smoothly through the channels in the base plate. Once the top layer is securely attached, the four corner sections become fixed in place, but the frame's sides remain open and accessible. In order to successfully complete the puzzle, the goal is to carefully maneuver all four pieces out of their respective slots within the frame. To achieve this, I opted for a reduced scale, printing at 80% of the original dimensions while maintaining the piece's thickness intact. A video tutorial demonstrates the step-by-step process required to solve this challenging puzzle, providing a clear guide for those seeking to unlock its secrets.