Innovation and diversity

That's exactly the crowd at the TechShop in Arlington - people from diverse backgrounds but united in their desire to create something new and innovative.

On a recent visit, Arsenio Menendez, an 18-year-old engineering student, was working on a 3-D print of a replica of an assault rifle from the Halomilitary science fiction shooter videogame.

Taking that first step to create something can be challenging for the uninitiated.

"It's hard to make people understand it's not hard!" Menendez told AFP.

Nearby, 52-year-old veteran and TechShop instructor Steve studied the handle of a machete he has made.

Each of the eight US shops in the chain are sponsored by local businesses or agencies operating in the region where they're located.

Here, in the shadow of the Pentagon, it's the US Defense Department's DARPA military research agency, which played a key role in creating the Internet, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs that are doling out the cash.

Veterans get a free annual membership that allows them to participate in training workshops and use TechShop machines.

Next to the laser cutter, Steve Colthorp, a 32-year-old game designer, was busy building 3-D wooden puzzles.

The board game creator learned about TechShop through the website instructables.com, a treasure trove of tutorials and how-to instructions well-known to makers that now has a global audience.