What if you can't get your picks into the keyhole?

I saw a lock that had a tubular key, and an airlock-like mechanism between the place the actual keyhole and the opening for you to insert the key. You would insert the key, and then activate the airlock-like mechanism which would transport the key to the keyhole.

There was then a mechanism to rotate the thing that was holding the key so as to unlock the lock.

The actual keyhole in this lock was never exposed to the outside.