FRC Glossary

accelerometer: A common sensor used to measure acceleration in one or more axis.
auto: The first phase of each match is called Autonomous (auto) and consists of the robot’s running pre-programmed instructions.
COTS: Commercial off the shelf, a standard (i.e. not custom order) part commonly available from a vendor to all teams for purchase.
C++: One of the three officially supported programming languages.
deprecated: Software that has been replaced and will no longer receive new features. Deprecated software will be maintained for at least 1 year, but may be removed after that. For example, if a method is deprecated prior to the 2022 season, it will be usable in the 2022 season, but may be removed prior to the 2023 season. Teams are encouraged to not use deprecated methods in new code.
DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, the protocol that allows a central device to assign unique IP addresses to all other devices.
FMS: Field Management System, the electronics core responsible for sensing and controlling the FIRST Robotics Competition field.
GradleRIO: The mechanism that powers the deployment of robot code to the roboRIO.
gyroscope: A device that measures rate of rotation. It can add up the rotation measurements to determine heading of the robot. (“gyro”, for short)
heading: The direction the robot is pointed, usually expressed as an angle in degrees.
IMU: Inertial Measurement Unit, a sensor that combines both an accelerometer and a gyroscope into a single sensor.
Java: One of the three officially supported programming languages.
KOP: Kit of Parts, the collection of items listed on the Kickoff Kit checklists, distributed to the team via FIRST Choice, or paid for completely (except shipping) with a Product Donation Voucher (PDV).
KOP chassis: The KOP contains a drive base (chassis) distributed to every team (that did not opt out) as part of the KOP. For the 2022 season, the KOP chassis is the AM14U5.
LabVIEW: One of the three officially supported programming languages.
NetworkTables: A way to communicate key / value pairs of data between programs.
simulation: A way for teams to test their code without having an actual robot available.
teleop: The second phase of each match is called the Teleoperated Period (teleop) and consists of drivers controlling their robots.
trajectory: A trajectory is a smooth curve, with velocities and accelerations at each point along the curve, connecting two endpoints on the field.