DETROIT — A teen-built robot named “Cyber Young” will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the stat of the game between the Tigers and the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park on Wednesday evening.
Cyber Young, the sleek aluminum and steel 200-pound robot, was conceived, designed, and built from the ground up by a group of almost two dozen high school students and their adult mentors in 2012. Like any good pitcher in the Major Leagues, Cyber Young went through some off-season changes for improvements since his debut: including a pressure transducer for better monitoring of the cannon pressure, a new baseball feeder, wheel encoders to improve driving, a dry ice smoke system, and a directional antenna for better and more reliable wireless communications on the robot. He has recorded pitching speeds of 100 mph.
Frog Force, the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition team from Novi High School, took the lead and was assisted by students from other FIRST teams at Troy High, Bishop Foley, Waterford-Kettering, and Monroe County High Schools as well. Cyber Young is sponsored by Magna Seating of Novi.
FIRST is active in over 40 percent of all Michigan high schools, making the Great Lakes State the No. 1 state in the country in total high school teams.
Various FIRST Robotics displays will be will be set up on the Comerica Park main concourse near Section 120 for fans that are interested in learning more about FIRST’s different age-specific programs. To learn more about FIRST Robotics, go to usfirst.org.
