Each year the team will compete in 1-2 qualifying competitions.
Teams design, build, and program robots to compete in an alliance format. Beyond the on-field robot performance, FTC emphasizes STEM learning, teamwork, community engagement, and "Gracious Professionalism."
Here's a detailed breakdown of what to expect:
Each FTC season introduces a new game with a unique theme and set of challenges. Teams construct robots, typically using a reusable, Android-based platform with motors, sensors, and microcontrollers, and program them using Java, Kotlin, or Blocks. The game is played on a 12x12-foot field.
A match is divided into two main periods:
Autonomous Period (first 30 seconds): Robots operate solely on pre-programmed instructions, with no human input. Teams aim to score points by completing tasks autonomously.
Driver-Controlled Period (2 minutes): Human drivers take control of their robots to complete further tasks and score points.
End Game (final 30 seconds): This is often a distinct scoring opportunity within the driver-controlled period, where teams might try to park in specific zones or complete high-value tasks.
Teams compete in randomly assigned alliances of two robots against another alliance. The winning alliance receives qualifying points, which contribute to their ranking.
FTC is not just about how well a robot performs on the field. A significant portion of a team's success and advancement depends on "judged awards," which recognize aspects like design, outreach, teamwork, and the engineering process.
The judging process typically involves:
Formal Team Presentations (approx. 10-15 minutes): Each judging panel interviews a set number of teams. Teams usually have about 5 minutes to present their robot, design process, outreach efforts, and overall team journey, followed by at least 5 minutes for judge questions. Teams are encouraged to rehearse their presentations and ensure all team members contribute.
Engineering Portfolio Review: Teams are required to submit an engineering portfolio (formerly an engineering notebook) that documents their entire season, including robot design iterations, programming decisions, challenges faced, solutions, outreach activities, and team sustainability plans. Judges review this portfolio to understand the team's process and journey.
Pit Interviews: Judges will visit teams in their "pits" (designated team areas) to ask further questions, observe the robot up close, and get a feel for the team's atmosphere and organization. Teams should always have members in their pit ready to explain their robot and answer questions.
Deliberation: After interviews, judges deliberate to nominate teams for various awards. A team can be nominated for multiple awards but can only win one first-place award per event. The prestigious Inspire Award is considered the most comprehensive, honoring the team that best embodies the spirit of FTC, demonstrating excellence in all areas (robot performance, design, outreach, Gracious Professionalism).
Gracious Professionalism®: A core FIRST value emphasizing high-quality work, treating others with respect, and learning from each other.
Engineering Design Process: Evidence of a well-documented, iterative design process in the engineering portfolio, including challenges, failures, and improvements.
Robot Design and Innovation: The creativity, robustness, and functionality of the robot, as well as innovative solutions to game challenges.
Programming and Control: Sophistication and effectiveness of the robot's control system, including autonomous routines and sensor usage.
Teamwork and Collaboration: How effectively the team works together, both internally and with other teams.
Outreach and Community Engagement: How the team shares STEM and FIRST with their community, inspires others, and seeks mentorship.
While competition days are packed, there are often periods of "downtime" for teams between matches and judging sessions. This time is crucial and can be used for:
Robot Repairs and Maintenance: This is perhaps the most common use of downtime. Robots inevitably break or encounter issues during matches, and teams use this time to make quick fixes, tighten components, and troubleshoot.
Strategy Adjustments: Reviewing previous matches, analyzing robot performance, and discussing strategy changes with alliance partners for upcoming matches.
Practice and Testing: If a practice field is available, teams might use downtime for quick tests or to fine-tune their robot's movements.
Scouting: This is a critical activity during downtime.
Scouting is the process of observing and gathering information about other teams' robots and performance. This is especially important for teams aiming for alliance selection in the elimination rounds.
Robot Capabilities: What tasks can a robot consistently perform? How many points can it score? Can it perform autonomous tasks reliably? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Reliability: Does the robot break down often? Are its mechanisms consistent?
Driver Skill: How well do the drivers control the robot? Are they efficient and strategic?
Alliance Potential: How well do teams work with their alliance partners? Are they good communicators?
Gracious Professionalism: Are teams respectful and helpful to others?
Dedicated Scout Team: Assign specific team members to watch matches and record data.
Scouting Sheets/Apps: Use pre-designed forms or digital tools to systematically collect data on each robot.
Pit Visits: Briefly visit other teams' pits to observe their robot, ask questions, and gauge their readiness and attitude.
Data Analysis: Use the collected data to rank teams based on their on-field performance and identify potential alliance partners. This helps in making informed decisions during alliance selection.
After the qualification matches are complete, the top-ranked teams proceed to alliance selection, a pivotal part of the competition where alliances for the elimination rounds are formed.
The alliance selection process typically works as follows:
Top Teams Choose: The top four (or sometimes eight, depending on the tournament size) ranked teams become "Alliance Captains."
First Round Picks: The #1 Alliance Captain gets the first pick, selecting any team (excluding other Alliance Captains) to join their alliance. Then, the #2 Captain picks, and so on, until all Captains have made their first pick.
Snake Draft: The second round of picks often follows a "snake draft" format. The last picking Captain in the first round gets the first pick in the second round, followed by the second to last, and so on, in reverse order. This continues until each alliance has three teams.
Decline Option: Teams chosen by an Alliance Captain have the option to decline the invitation. If a team declines, the Alliance Captain must choose another team. However, if a team accepts, they are committed to that alliance.
Strategic Choices: Alliance Captains often strategize their picks based on the scouting data gathered throughout the qualification rounds. They look for teams that complement their robot's strengths, have reliable performance, or specialize in specific scoring tasks. A well-balanced alliance with diverse capabilities is crucial for success in the elimination rounds.
Once alliances are formed, the competition moves into the elimination rounds, also known as the playoffs or bracket play. This is where alliances compete head-to-head to determine the event champion.
Key aspects of the elimination rounds:
Double-Elimination Bracket: Matches in the elimination rounds are played in two brackets with double elimination, where the winner stays in the upper bracket, and the looser to the lower. Once a team looses twice, they are eliminated.
Bracket Progression: Alliances progress through a bracket (e.g., quarterfinals, semifinals, finals), with the winning alliance moving on and the losing alliance being eliminated.
Alliance Collaboration: Effective communication and strategy within an alliance become paramount. Teams must work together, often combining their robot's unique capabilities, to outscore their opponents. This might involve pre-match discussions to decide on shared autonomous paths, defensive and offensive roles, and last-minute strategic adjustments.
Robot Robustness: The intensity of the elimination rounds puts a premium on robot reliability. Quick repairs and robust designs are essential to withstand the repeated stress of competition.
Excitement and Pressure: The elimination rounds are often the most exciting and high-pressure part of the competition, with the stakes being much higher than in qualification matches.
The goal of the elimination rounds is to crown the tournament's winning alliance, which, along with the Inspire Award winner and other judged award recipients, typically advances to higher-level competitions, such as state or world championships.
FTC competitions are high-energy events that test not only a team's robot but also their problem-solving skills, teamwork, and ability to communicate their journey. Understanding the various facets of the competition, from the game mechanics to the judging process and the strategic use of downtime, is key to a successful and rewarding experience.