Saline, Dexter High School Robotics Teams Compete at Worlds

Saline Singularity made history this season, while Dexter’s Dreadbots continued a growing tradition.

Both high school robotics teams traveled to Houston for the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship, putting two local programs on one of the biggest stages in student robotics. For Saline High School’s Singularity, it was the team’s first appearance at Worlds in its 13-year history. For Dexter High School’s Dreadbots, it was the team’s third straight year qualifying for the championship.

Adityaraj “Adi” Neelagal, a programmer and backup drive team member for Singularity, said reaching Worlds was especially meaningful after a difficult start to the season.

“Going to worlds for the first time means so much, especially considering our rocky start in the first competition,” Neelagal said. “To come together and turn it around to the degree of going to the highest level of competition is something I’ll never forget.”

Brody Dai, a junior and programming co-lead, said the championship showed students what top-level competition looks like.

“Worlds gave a feeling of the higher level of competitiveness that I believe we can use as motivation, especially seeing better bots up close as drive team,” Dai said. “The experience definitely set a higher bar for our performance next year, and I think that’s a great way to see the team grow.”

Luke Teems, a freshman at Saline High School, said the trip helped the team see what was possible.

“It showed us that we have the capability to make it to this level,” Teems said. “It also showed us we can be a strong team.”

Freshman Vadim Marshall, who previously attended Worlds twice with Saline FIRST Tech Challenge Team 10644 Cybugs, said this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition trip was “a new and amazing experience.”

The Dreadbots have become a regular presence at higher-level FIRST Robotics competitions. Team information says the program formed in 2011, has gone to States 10 times and Worlds eight times, and has grown from six students in its first year to an average of about 45 students each year. The team also does community outreach and encourages younger students to explore STEM careers.

This year, the Dreadbots qualified for Worlds after competing at the state competition at Saginaw Valley State University. The team finished qualifying matches at states ranked 15th with a 6-6 record. The Dreadbots were selected for the eighth alliance and made a playoff run before being eliminated in the third round, securing their spot in Houston.

At Worlds, the Dreadbots finished 27th on their field in qualifying matches with a 5-5 record, according to the team. They were then selected as the first pick of Alliance 8, competing with FRC 1939, LamBot 3478 and Cyber Crusaders 272.

Elliot McMichael, who shared additional information about the team’s performance, said the Dreadbots faced the No. 1 alliance, which went on to win the championship, and were later eliminated by the No. 4 alliance in the division finals.

The Dreadbots described the Houston trip as “an amazing time” and said they were grateful for the opportunity.

For both teams, the championship capped months of design, programming, troubleshooting and competition. It also gave students a chance to measure their work against some of the strongest robotics teams in the world and bring those lessons back to Saline and Dexter.

Featured image: Saline Singularity’s robot competes at the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship in Houston. Photo by Olga Marshal