FIRST and FTC
What the program is, how teams compete, and where a new student fits.
stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. It runs programs that help young people learn through robotics. , or FIRST Tech Challenge, is one of those programs. Students design, build, and program a for a game that changes each .
You do not need to know how to code or use tools before joining. Those are things you learn with your team.
The FIRST programs
You may meet teams from other FIRST programs at a demonstration or workshop:
| Program | What students do |
|---|---|
| FIRST LEGO League (FLL) | Younger students learn through LEGO-based activities and challenges. |
| FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) | Students build a compact robot from reusable parts and custom designs. |
| FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) | Students build larger robots for a different field and game. |
The programs have different equipment, rules, and participation arrangements. This guide is for FTC; an FRC robot tutorial may teach a useful idea without describing hardware or rules that apply to your team.
More than the robot
An FTC team needs people who enjoy different kinds of work. You might build a , write code, draw a part on a computer, manage money, teach younger students, take photographs, or explain a design to visitors.
means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You use these subjects together in FTC. For example, a robot that lifts an object needs a strong structure, a suitable , and code that stops the lift in the right place. Someone also needs to test whether it works.
A is someone who shares experience and helps students learn. A helps organize and support the team. Students should understand and take part in the decisions behind their robot. When a mentor fixes something, ask them to show you why the fix works.
What a season looks like
A season is one of the competition. At , FIRST reveals the new game. Teams read the rules, choose a robot design, build and test it, and attend events.
A match is one short game on the competition field. An is the group of teams playing together in that match. FTC normally has two robots on each alliance. Your partner may be a team you compete against later, so learning to work with other teams matters.
The robot first follows a program without driver input. That period is called , often shortened to auto. During teleoperated play, or , students control the robot with gamepads. A gamepad is a handheld controller with buttons and joysticks.
At an event, teams also speak with : volunteers who learn about the team's engineering, learning, and work in the community. Your match results and your judged awards describe different parts of your season. A new team can prepare seriously for both.
How teams treat each other
FIRST's Core Values are Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun. In practice, that means giving people a chance to learn, trying ideas, using your work to help others, and treating teammates respectfully.
You will also hear two phrases:
- means doing good work while respecting other people. You can disagree about a design without insulting its designer.
- means helping others while competing with them. Lending another team a tool does not mean you stop trying to win your match.
Credit the people who helped you and the designs or code you learned from. Describe what your team actually did. Asking for help is part of learning; claiming someone else's work as yours is not.
Your first conversation
Gather the interested students and adults. Ask each person what they would like to try, what they can already do, and when they can meet. Someone who starts with photography may later enjoy programming. Avoid assigning permanent jobs before people have tried them.
Write one shared goal for the first season. “Build a safe robot that can drive and complete one scoring task” is a useful starting point. You can add more once you know your time, equipment, and experience.