If you have a 3D printer, you can create a maker space. Private entities and public institutions are opening them all over the country to encourage others to express their creativity through 3D printing and other rapid prototyping tools. Now Microsoft is getting in on the action.

Since 2009, Microsoft has allowed its employees to work on experimental projects in a building it called The Garage. It was a great idea at the time and still is as it encourages employees to build future technologies. Now The Garage has become that much more awesome with the addition of a Maker Space within its confines.

To celebrate the opening of the Maker Space, Microsoft hosted a Devices Science Fair within The Garage to showcase some of the most interesting projects being worked on in the building. Check it out:

As you may have noticed in the above video, one of the standout inventions was a 3D printed robotic arm from Microsoft Research’s Gershon Parent. If you want to find out more about his robot and how he made it, check out the below video:

This latest push into 3D printing ties into Microsoft’s expanded support for the technology in Windows 8.1. Back in June, Microsoft announced that it was adding native support for 3D printers into its latest operating system. These native drivers were built through a collaboration between Microsoft and MakerBot, but it supports pretty much every 3D printer on the market.

[Image: Microsoft/YouTube]
[h/t: 3ders]