WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A robotics competition put on by Wichita State University at Koch Arena for high school students drew hundreds of little inventors with bright, new ideas for disaster relief.

The best of the Kansas BEST, Boosting Engineering Science and Technology, attracted more than 500 student competitors from different schools.

The contestant were given a raw set of materials to see what they could build to help in a natural disaster where power lines are down. The goal, clean up debris and get power back up and running.

“We figured we did pretty good, in the top 20 at least. It is hard to be up in the top five or top ten but we might be able to make it,” said Layne Hiebert, Kansas BEST Competitor. “It really helps up understand what people actually do and how we could help them in the future.”

There was no shortage of creativity, excitement, or entertainment during the event. Teams stayed charged from the support of cheering sections and motivated by band performances.

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