An army of small robots pushed, pulled and climbed their way through whatever was thrown at them in Howe Hall during the fourth annual FIRST Lego League state tournament Saturday.

The contest was open to teams of enterprising nine- to 14-year-old children who were required to build small robots out of Legos and subject them to a series of obstacles.

More than 50 teams competed in nine missions following this year’s theme, “No Limits,” which presented the young engineers with several obstacles simulating issues related to handicap accessibility. The goal was to teach the students about the needs of people with varying levels of disabilities.

A few of the robotic missions each team tackled included climbing stairs, opening a gate and pushing in chairs. To pass the missions, teams worked to overcome obstacles with the use of a small, computer program-driven robot created with up to three motors, a computer block and Legos.

And the best part: “Competing!” said Max Peterson, 13, from the Ames Middle School team. “Our team is scored and given points for each mission we complete,” he said. “Trophies are given out in multiple events … and we want to win!”

More than 150 ISU student volunteers, members of faculty and a sea of public spectators attended the competition, hosted by the College of Engineering.

Robert Parker, sophomore in mechanical engineering, refereed several of this year’s matches.

“Teams are awarded points based on whether they complete each mission successfully or not,” he said. “Later, each team is judged on their robot’s design.”

Other areas in which teams are judged include hardiness, teamwork and overall package.

“Winners receive huge trophies made out of Legos,” said Jake Ingman, chairman of the FIRST Lego League planning team. “The first place team receives the ‘director’s award,’ which qualifies that team to compete at the world [contest] against other qualifying teams from around the world.”

The winner of the director’s award — the “Bulldog Lego Team” from Ogden — was the team judged to be “strongest in all categories,” said Camille Schroeder, program coordinator for the College of Engineering.

The award goes beyond the completion of missions, but also includes team spirit, great coaching and children’s dedication and commitment to the project, she said.

Schroeder said she and many others feel passionately about the competition and what it offers Iowa’s children. Now that the tournament has ended, planning is underway for next year’s event.

“It takes four months to get ready for the tournament … our team has been working on it since school started,” said Chuckie Baxter, 9, on the “Gators Beyond Boundaries” team from Cedar Rapids. “The most difficult part of the tournament is keeping your cool and knowing what you’re supposed to be doing.”

This year’s teams are primarily from Iowa, but also include teams from Nebraska and Kansas, as no state tournaments are offered there, said Ingman, graduate student in mechanical engineering.