Genii magnetic lock

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The Genii Magnetic Lock was sold in the USA by the Edmund Scientific Company in the late 1970s. It had the unique distinction of looking like a chrome padlock, but had no openings for a key to open the lock.

Front View

Side View - Key area

A magnetic key would be placed in a channel on the side to unlock the unit. This magnetic key was a simple chrome bar with several small magnets hidden inside, oriented so that the North / South Poles would equate to the proper combination to push or pull the internal tumblers thus releasing the lock. This is a totally passive system requiring no electricity or electronics to activate or deactivate the mechanism.^{[citation needed]}

Traditional lock picking is virtually impossible and the passing of magnets along the outside didn't seem to be able to pick the lock either.^{[citation needed]}

Besides being very unusual, another great aspect of this lock was that damage due to weather and normal exposure was minimal.^{[citation needed]}