Robots kicked balls, speakers shared stories ranging from resilience and war to making the first wireless cell phone and musicians draped the Oriental Theatre in quilts of sound during Friday’s Edison Talks.

The invitation-only event gathered the country’s brightest minds and about 100 Chicago youth from economically-challenged communities to be inspired by presentations and networking opportunities.

Martin Cooper, who created the first portable cellular phone for Motorola in 1973, said he was hoping to inspire the next generation of inventors with his talk.

And backstage Dennis Hong gave CIW some one-on-one time with his adorable robots – robots that can think for themselves and evaluate their surroundings. 

One was programmed to “play soccer,” and would scan the stage area for a red ball, jog towards it, wind up and kick it across the wooden floor.

Hong, the founding director of Virginia Tech’s Robotics and Mechanisms Lab, said they were developing artificial intelligence so that robots can act as firefighters and other emergency responders to save lives.

He said he was thrilled to be at the Edison Talks.

“Chicago Ideas Week, I say, (is) a spa for the mind,” Hong said, waving his arms in excitement.

Speaker Clemantine Wamariya was just six years old when some of her family members were killed and she and her sister were separated from her parents during the Rwanda genocide. 

“One day, everything basically crashed,” said Wamariya, now a senior at Yale.

After several years drifting between African refugee camps with her sister, she came to the United States.  

And twelve years after their separation (and with a little help from Oprah) she reunited with her parents in America.

“I never gave up in finding them again,” she said before her talk on connecting with humanity.

PROJECT YOU(th) students from Epic Academy said they could not get enough of the day, raising their hands to interact with speakers during Q&A sessions and brushing shoulders with executives during the breaks.

Paul Ukaegbu, 17, said he was motivated to spend less time on the couch playing video games and more time helping change the world. Picking the brains of CEOs and absorbing the speakers made for a great day.

“I feel the love in the room,” he said.

And CEO of GrubHub, Matt Maloney, said the Chicago Ideas Week mission was like that of his company: always pushing the innovative envelope. He said they encouraged their employees to come to this week’s events and expand their horizons.

“It’s an invaluable experience,” Maloney said.

This week is flying by, but you can still catch some amazing events over the weekend on fashion, food and health with the likes of Elle Macpherson, CNN correspondents and celebrity chefs – can’t wait to see you there!