She has since moved to Ottawa to work with the University of Ottawa, but keeps tabs on the local group she helped start.

SimCoLab now has a 3D printer, robotic arm and several more projects on the go, including Pinocchio’s nose.

“It’s amazing what happens when people get in the room with each other,” Ballantyne said.

“We have a white board down there with things that are way out there that people want to invent.”

One of their members is 16-year-old Wasaga Beach resident Daniel Correia, who led an mini-computer workshop this month.

“I’ve always loved taking things apart and breaking them in the process,” Correia said.

His fascination with all things technical started at a young age. It even sidelined the family’s planned trip to Walt Disney World when he was five.

“He discovered this Vex robotics kit in RadioShack,” mom Doris Mittwollen said. “It was $300. He asked us how much it cost to go to Disney and said he’d rather get the kit.”

He spent hours creating different kinds of robots with the kit and admits he still hasn’t been to Disney.

“That kit taught me an introduction to programming,” Correia said.

As a home-schooled student, Correia said he’s spent many of his free afternoons studying computer technology.

One of his recent creations is an automated lawnmower that uses GPS co-ordinates.

He brought it to SimCoLab this week to show other members. While it might not yet work, it hasn’t discouraged him.

“I love SimCoLab, it’s a great space for sharing ideas and sharing knowledge,” he said.

-This story has been updated from a previous version to reflect a correction