the Infinity Puzzle™: a new kind of jigsaw puzzle

Have you ever done a puzzle that has no beginning or end? Where you don’t know up from down? Get lost in the infinite galaxy puzzle.

The infinity puzzles™ are a new type of jigsaw puzzle inspired by topological spaces that continuously tile. Because of that, they have no fixed shape, no starting point, and no edges. They can be assembled in thousands of different ways.

Our puzzles are all about bringing back the artistry and playfulness of traditional hand cut puzzles while exploring the possibilities of new technology. A part of that artisan tradition are “trick” puzzles, puzzles that can be assembled in multiple ways often to create a witty pun or interesting transformation. Our infinity puzzles™ build on that tradition with a new mathematical twist that would be almost impossible with hand cutting, a puzzle that tiles in every direction. Our generative puzzles are made with math, science and lasers. The intricate branching shapes of our puzzle pieces emerge from a simulation of crystal growth and are lasercut from plywood. By combining mathematical simulation with precision CNC cutting, we create new kinds of jigsaw puzzles that could never be made before.

the Infinity Puzzle™

a small yet challenging puzzle based on a torus

The Infinity Puzzle™ ($50, 6 x 6 inches, 51 pieces) is a challenging wood puzzle that tiles in the plane. This means that any piece on the bottom can be moved to the top and a piece on the right can be moved to the left. Multiple copies of the puzzle can be combined in different colors to create abstract patterns and shapes. Topologically, we can say this is equivalent to a torus, which can be described by its fundamental polygon showing how edges of a square map to each other to make a closed shape. We create the tiling piece shapes by modifying our simulation to wrap like a torus. It was first created for the 2016 Puzzle Parley.

This puzzle is extra challenging as it has no image or defined shape to guide assembly. Multiple infinity puzzles™ can be combined to create a larger continuous puzzle. The image above shows some of the creative combinations possible with two infinity puzzles™ of different colors ($75, for two).

the Infinite Galaxy Puzzle

a puzzle that tiles infinitely across both sides, based on the Klein Bottle

The Infinite Galaxy Puzzle ($130, 8 x 8 inches, 133 pieces) takes this idea one step further. Instead of mapping to a torus, this puzzle maps to a Klein bottle, an impossible 3D shape where the inside and outside are mathematically indistinguishable. This means that the puzzle tiles with a flip. Pieces from the right side attach to the left side but only after they have been flipped over. Just like the Klein bottle’s surface has no inside or outside, the puzzle has no up or down side. You can start the puzzle anywhere on any side. This puzzle is adorned with a photograph of the galactic center from the Hubble observatory (source). The image is continuous from one side of the puzzle to the other, so it’s not possible to see the entire image at once. Explore the galaxy while assembling the puzzle in multiple ways. The puzzle also features 3 special space themed whimsy pieces shaped like an astronaut, a space shuttle and a satellite.

Ready to take on the challenge? shop our entire line of generative jigsaw puzzles here.