Locks

Combination Lock Lid

Jul 2018

I designed a jar whose lid must be rotated like the dial of a combination lock in order to remove it. To keep the interface simple, I chose not to add any alignment markings to the outside. To unlock this jar, I use my thumbs as references. Specifically:

• I reset the lock to a known position by twisting counterclockwise at least 90° (not shown in the video).
• I twist counterclockwise until my right thumb is 90° from my left thumb.
• I twist clockwise until my right thumb is just to the left of my left thumb.
• I twist counterclockwise until my right thumb is just to the right of my left thumb.
• I pull the lid off.

Even though the steps required to open this lock are very similar to the steps required to open a combination lock, they use different mechanisms. The reason I designed my own mechanism instead of using the stacked disk mechanism that dial combination locks use is because I needed a compact design that wouldn’t block the opening of the jar.

Magnetic Lock

Sep 2020

I wanted to create a box that required a key, but I didn’t want to disrupt the surface of the box with a keyhole or some other key interface. This was primarily for aesthetic reasons, but I also saw it as a security benefit. Reducing visual information and exposed lock components reduces the number of ways someone can pick a lock. For this reason, I designed a “key” that had magnets embedded in it at specific positions. Inside the box, there are steel balls that function similarly to the pins in pin tumbler locks. When I put the magnetic key on the box, it moves the steel balls into their unlocked positions, which allows the lid to slide sideways.