About the Robotics Team

The Byting Irish is a FIRST robotics team based at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. FIRST is a global organization that works to help young people see themselves as science and technology innovators (firstinspires.org). With 60 members, our team includes all ages from freshmen to seniors. The team was founded in 2018 to provide a hands-on STEM program to meet the needs of today’s educational environment. Over the course of the previous seasons, more than 85% of our graduated seniors have chosen to pursue science and engineering degrees in their college careers.

Awards and Recognition

• Winner of State of Michigan Championship – Aptiv Field Division – 2024
• Winner of Milford District Competition and Gracious Professionalism Award – 2024
• Winner of Ann Arbor District Competition and Creativity Design Award – 2024
• Semi-finalist in both Jackson & Belleville District Competitions – 2023
• Team Spirit Award at Jackson District Competition – 2023
• Gracious Professionalism Award at Belleville District Competition – 2023
• Ranked top 25% in state of Michigan (476 total teams) – 2022
• Entrepreneurship Award Belleville Competition – March 2022
• Team Spirit Award Milford Competition – March 2022
• Semi-Finalist in both Milford & Belleville Competitions – 2022
• Scouting Master Award Kettering University Snow Blitz – 2021
• 8th Place Divisional/National Virtual Competition – 2021
• 5th Place Milford District Competition – March 2020
• Entrepreneurship Award Milford Competition – March 2020
• Ranked top 20% in state of Michigan (542 total teams) – 2019
• Rookie All-Star Award Kettering Competition – 2019
• Rookie Inspiration Award Lincoln District Competition – 2019
• Highest Seeded Rookie Award in District & State Competitions – 2019

Team Mission
The Byting Irish Robotics team inspires students to experience science and technology in a tangible way, going beyond the classroom learning of science, engineering, and business principles.

Community Outreach
The team recognizes there are others less fortunate in our community and strives to identify new ways to give back. Each season our team does a donation drive to collect much-needed shampoo, soap and tooth products to support local shelters and a mission located in Mexico. During a Faith in Flint service project, we found the need for more age-appropriate books for children and collected over 300 to donate. This experience has meant a great deal to us as a team because we believe it is important to engage outside our school and help those in need since we have been so blessed.

The Competition
While the robotics team works year-round, the competition season kicks off in January when game details are revealed. The teams then have approximately 7 weeks to build and program the robot. Our goal has been to build a robot to be successful in a very focused aspect of the game. The team attends two competitions during March in an attempt to qualify for State finals in April and ultimately the World Championship.

Team Organization

The Byting Irish Robotics team is structured using a sub-team format. This allows the team to maximize each student`s strengths and create a productive working environment. This also provides the students with exposure to various aspects of STEM.

Computer Aided Design (CAD) Team
The Design Team plays a crucial role in determining the development of the robot. They attempt to find the most logical and efficient design based on constraints such as the length of the build season, skill of our build and electrical teams, limitations in the game, and mechanical possibilities. These team members learn how to use SolidWorks CAD program elements in the design of the robot, providing a foundation for both collegiate and professional aspirations.

Build Team
The Build Team has the most hands-on role with the robot. Members fabricate the physical robot based on the design created in CAD and solve any problems that occur in the building process. Members of the build team learn how to safely use tools and equipment. They oversee the process of taking design drawings to create components and build a finished robot.

Electrical Team
The Electrical Team could be viewed as the team that brings life to the robot. There are a lot of components which need to tie together, and the electrical team is responsible for this task. They lead the design layout for all the wiring and pneumatics in the robot. In today’s age of computers and sensors, this team gets exposure to concepts in electrical engineering.

Programming Team
The Programming Team writes the code that directs the robot to respond to the controls when operated by the driver. The students are taught Java, a high-level programming language, and use this to direct the robot in both manual and autonomous mode. As technology advances and self-driving vehicles become more mainstream, these team members will be more prepared for roles in automation and beyond.

Business Team
The Business Team has a multitude of responsibilities. Not only do they maintain the finances, but they also help find sponsors, create promotional materials, and develop presentation materials for competitions. They also create bi-weekly newsletters and manage the team’s social media presence. Students who are interested in careers in business, marketing, and finance are given an opportunity to run a small business.

Safety Team
The Safety Team ensures the team is following safety protocols both at practice and at competitions. Team members speak with the safety inspector at competitions to make sure rules are followed. Our team was awarded with the “Pit Safety Award” during our rookie year. Membership on this team helps students grow their interpersonal and leadership skills.

Scouting Team
The Scouting Team learns about other teams at each competition and tracks their progress throughout to help determine strategies during matches. This helps the Byting Irish create the best possible alliance during playoff matches. Our Scouting Team were the winners of the 2021 Kettering University Scouting Hack-a-Thon. Students who have a keen sense of detail and the ability to analyze data and metrics perform well in this team.

Our Experience

Being part of FIRST, our team members learn valuable skills and experience science and math in a different light. With many sub-teams working independently but needing to communicate, we have been able to learn the value of collaboration and communication and have seen firsthand the importance it has had in forming a successful team. For much of the team, participating in FIRST provides our members with the ability to see real hands-on examples of the principles learned in science and math courses, and observe how these principles are applied. These experiences are extremely valuable to the students and prepares them for the classroom as well as the boardroom.

Sponsorships

We are very thankful for this Season’s Sponsors! We appreciate the monetary support they provide to allow us not only to build our robot, but also to equip a robotics lab within our school. Many of our sponsors also provide mentorship to our team, bringing industry experts to help the students learn the necessary skills in robotics.

Platinum Sponsors

Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world’s toughest challenges within the defense, aviation, and information technology industries.

We are pleased to welcome back as a third-year sponsor Stemville, located in downtown Northville. They offer children an opportunity to imagine through creative play. Children can explore through coding robots, hands-on learning stations, and other STEM-related activities. Our team was able to support a local Girl Scout troop earn their robotics badge through a workshop at Stemville.

A second year sponsor, Incite Informatics develops custom analytics solutions for big companies with complex organizations. Incite works with Fortune 500 companies in Manufacturing, Mobility, Healthcare, and Hospitality and Entertainment. Founded in 2010, Incite is headquartered in Detroit.

Joining Team 7660 as a first-year sponsor, Caplea Studio Architects are a commercial architecture firm helping customers with their building projects on time and budget. We appreciate their support this season!

Gold Sponsors

New this year, we are grateful for MPI-Digital’s sponsorship. MPI-Digital is one of the leading providers of multi-channel automotive marketing campaigns. Their specialties include email campaigns, social and display retargeting, traditional CRM, as well as point of purchase materials and fullfillment. 

Special Thank You to the following families for their individual financial support:
The Volglrieder Family
The Norman Family
The Tongusi Family
The Cook Family
The Caplea Family
The Pfaffenbach Family
The Price Family
Mr. Abecasis

How Can You Help?
Our team is continuously looking for donations of tools and equipment, team uniforms, signage, as well as monetary donations. Each sponsor will be recognized on various team signage, uniforms, robots, social media and school communications.

What Will Your Generosity Be Used For?
It is expensive to have a robotics team! The cost of having a team includes more than just building the robot. Expenses also include competition fees, promotional materials and prototyping supplies. Each season, we must budget for new parts to build the game-specific robot. We also need to purchase team promotional materials, 3D printer technology and additional workroom tools to allow for a more efficient fabrication process.