At the Innovation Center, our mission is to inspire, support, and showcase innovative and interdisciplinary activities – and some of our favorite projects begin with a simple suggestion from our Idea Board. One day, a student suggested adding daily puzzles to the center. This idea was a natural fit: mental challenges can help energize the mind – a strong starting point from which new ideas can emerge. We set up a dedicated puzzle table featuring 3D-printed puzzles, since 3D printing is one of our most popular services. We also decided to develop a Sudoku-like number puzzle of our own, something quicker to solve, with a reusable puzzle template based on “daily numbers”. After playtesting and feedback from visitors, we refined the concept into the final version: Digit Pairs, a puzzle where players use each digit from 0–9 exactly once to create pairs that sum to five target values. Printed versions are now available at the center, and we offer a downloadable instruction sheet and puzzle templates on our website.

But the evolution of this idea didn’t stop there. We also created a digital version of Digit Pairs that works seamlessly on both desktop computers and smartphones, focusing on a clean, accessible interface. As with all our software projects, the source code is available on GitHub, freely available for anyone to explore, learn from, or build upon. For those who prefer tactile and hands-on experiences, we also designed a 3D-printable version of the puzzle, complete with a board and numbered tiles. These 3D model files were released on the community platforms printables.com and thingiverse.com, furthering our commitment to share our creations with a global audience.

This project beautifully illustrates how a single idea can grow in multiple directions -creative and technical, physical and digital. Bringing together skills from game design to 3D modeling to software engineering, the development process of the Digit Pairs puzzle embodies the interdisciplinary spirit of the Innovation Center that we are proud to share and that entertains and inspires visitors in the Center every day.