FIRST-Tech-Challenge/FtcRobotController

What this is

This repository hosts the public FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) SDK for the BIOBUZZ (2026-2027) competition season. It is the source used to build the Android app that controls an FTC competition robot, and it ships with a large set of Sample OpModes that teams can copy into their own /teamcode folder or adapt for matches (NOTICE and Welcome).

It is aimed at FTC teams and coaches working with Java in Android Studio, and also supports Blocks and OnBot Java for teams that do not want a full desktop IDE.

Getting started

You need Android Studio Narwhal 3 Feature Drop or later to open and build the Android Studio project (Requirements). Blocks and OnBot Java do not require Android Studio, so beginners can program the robot without installing the desktop toolchain.

1. Download or clone the entire repository to your local computer; the SDK is used as a whole project rather than a single file (Welcome, Downloading the Project).
2. Open the project in a compatible Android Studio, let Gradle sync, and build the Robot Controller app.
3. Start from the included Sample OpModes, copy examples into /teamcode, and modify them for your robot.

If you are new to FTC, the FTC Blocks Tutorial is the recommended first stop before touching Java code (Getting Started). The SDK also has an online Javadoc reference and the FIRST Tech Challenge Documentation for the control system (Javadoc Reference).

Version and compatibility constraints

• The current release line is Version 12.0, and the README documents breaking changes across major versions; teams upgrading should read the release notes before rebuilding (Release Information).
• Version 11.2 upgraded to Gradle 9.1 and Android Gradle Plugin 8.13.2, which requires Android Studio Narwhal 3 Feature Drop or later; older Android Studio versions will fail to sync the project (Version 11.2 breaking changes).
• OnBotJava only supports Java 1.8, while newer Android Studio bundled JDKs may warn on deprecation; this matters if you mix OnBot Java with desktop builds (Version 10.1.1 known issues).
• Some releases remove or restructure APIs, for example TensorFlow Object Detection classes were removed in Version 10.0 and legacy AprilTag OpModes break with the new AprilTag Cluster capability in Version 12.0 (Version 10.0 changes, Version 12.0 breaking changes).

Support and community

Technical questions about the control system or SDK go to the FIRST Tech Challenge Community forum. The repo README also points to the online documentation as an evergreen reference that is updated over time (User Documentation).

HotRepo's take

The repository appeared once in HotRepo's Java daily list on 2026-11-04 at position 8, with no net star change that day. That single snapshot shows periodic attention but does not by itself establish a growth trend; the much larger fork count relative to stars reflects the many teams cloning the SDK as a starting point rather than a conventional popularity signal. The project is a season-scoped official SDK, so its value is tied to the current game year and to keeping Android Studio, Gradle, and the Driver Station version aligned.