On June 26, crowds of people from all over the Pontiac gathered at Heritage College’s campus in Campbell’s Bay to take a up-close and personal look at a collection of very innovative modern technology.

Hosted by the Fabrique mobile de l’Outaouais and the Jardin Educatif du Pontiac, the event served as an opportunity for locals to get access to innovative machines that they otherwise wouldn’t get the change to use or witness.

Officially named the Fab Lab du Jardin, the showcase boasted four futuristic gadgets that made the space feel like a journey into the future.

With plenty of locals attending to test out the machines, creating all sorts of designs and prototypes, the event was evidently an instant hit.

With 3D printers, a vinyl-cutter and a colossal laser-cutter on site, the showcase left attendees in of awe, especially children who seemed absolutely mesmerized by the machines outstanding capabilities.

While the prototype-making 3D printers were certainly popular, the main attraction of the event was the large laser-cutter set-up in the tool shed outside the building.

“It’s like the piece de resistance,” he said. “It’s the mother of all machines.”

During the showcase last Wednesday, Fab Lab du Jardin’s project manager Gregory Beard provided demonstrations and showed kids how to make their own personalized ruler with the laser-cutter.

Too big to fit through the front doors of the main building, the 90-Watt apparatus, worth north of $12,000, is used to carve through various materials using a fiery-hot laser.

From engraving names on glass jars, to carving artistic designs through a sheet of plywood, the laser-cutter’s potential for creativity is virtually limitless, Beard said.

After getting in touch with Martin Riopel of the Jardin Educatif du Pontiac, the two organizations felt like it would be great idea to implement a Fab Lab in a rural region like the Pontiac – something that hadn’t happened in the past.

While Fab Labs are quite common in post-secondary institutions and high schools across the country, the one held in Campbell’s Bay holds a unique place in the province.

“It’s the first of its kind, as far as we know, in Quebec, which is awesome,” he said.

With advanced technology becoming more and more prevalent in all industries and learning how to use these machines is a very unique skill to acquire that will likely be very practical in the future, Beard said.

“By being able to use these machines, it opens up a really wide variety of job opportunities in the future where you might be that one person that knows how to use this machine that will be available to use it,” he said.

Relatively user-friendly and easy to learn, the machines can be great tools when it comes to creating something very unique at a reasonable price.

“As an individual that’s just trying to learn how to use this machine, you can learn by making really unique pieces and gifts like that” he said.

With potential to be a significant attraction for tourists and locals alike, the Fab Lab du Jardin has the possibility of being very beneficial to the region’s economy, Beard said.

“It’s a great way to share this knowledge with the community out here because it is harder to attract people out of the city,” he said. “Usually, it’s a reversed-flow that we have here. By enabling people in the Pontiac area to gain this knowledge and these resources, you might be attracting a different kind of business.”

With a wide variety of materials provided on site, residents are invited to test out the machines or work on personal creative projects at no cost whatsoever, Beard said.

Open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, until August 14, the lab will be open to anyone wanting to accomplish their projects or those simply wanting to find out what all the fuss is about.

While the Fab Lab’s summer stay in Campbell’s Bay is only a showcase, Beard hopes that it one days becomes a mainstay in the region.

“The long-term goal is to eventually have a permanent installation of FabLab [in the Pontiac] where people can come,” he said.

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