LAB RAT takes place in a laboratory where giant rats are doing experiments on human beings, specifically you! The somewhat unhinged Ratkenstein, a doctoral student in the field of human intelligence (or, in his estimation, the lack thereof), has tasked you with completing a series of tests and puzzles. If you succeed, he can finally write his dissertation. If you fail, he’s going to put you and your friends in the old test-subject chipper (like a wood chipper, but for test subjects!). You’ll have one hour to complete the tests and attempt to get out of the laboratory for good, before Ratkenstein turns you into mulch!
I traveled down to Los Angeles to work on this project, twice. This is the second room of three in this escape room challenge. When you finish all of the puzzles in the room you get to release a ball that travels along the track through all the rooms, down the hall, through the walls and finally above the door to the third room, unlocking it.
I created about 80 feet of track on the floor, it has 4 rails so you can’t remove the ball, and is totally enclosed. Once I finally finished building the tracks I raised up the tracks as far as they needed to go with twine. Once I was satisfied with its location I attached the tracks to the steel studs that make up the walls. I was there before sheet-rock so I could build as easily as possible.
In addition to the tracks, once they were in place and secured to the walls I also added three puzzles, or breaks, to the tracks that were part of the puzzles in the room. One was drawbridge, one was a short 12″ track section lifted up and down, and the other was a gate across the track that needed to be lifted.
Check out the two videos below for some behind the scenes building. And if ever in LA for an escape room experience, check this one out! It was voted TOP 3 in Los Angeles escape rooms when it first opened.
100% stainless steel, TIG welded.