Agriculture is a big theme of the fair, but there's more to do, see and learn. 4-H kids are proving that this week. As our Iris St. Meran tells us, they're working with the latest technology.

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NEW YORK STATE FAIR -- During the state fair, 4-H kids often focus on agriculture. This year, they're doing that, but with a twist. They're adding robotics.

"They have programmed their robots, so it can perform independently on the playing field. They have missions or tasks they have to accomplish. Each of these missions or tasks is a sustainability theme," said Linda Brosch, Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Team Coordinator.

That theme relates to research being done at Cornell University. The themed tasks included knocking over a replica smokestack or carting away coal.

This is not the first time Eric Davis built a robot, but he says this experience taught him problem solving skills.

"Hearing ideas makes you think about stuff you didn't think of before. Or it will make you go over an idea you already know didn't work and then you can go over it and see why it didn't work and how to change it so it doesn't work," Davis said.

These are the skills that coordinators hope students pick up and will help them beyond this challenge.

"It's the problem solving and the steps along the way that really help them focus," Brosch said.