Plain Language Glossary
Technical robotics terms explained simply. Use this when you’re confused by terminology!
Autonomous (Auto)
Section titled “Autonomous (Auto)”Technical: Robot operation without human input during a match period.
Plain English: The robot drives itself using pre-programmed instructions.
Analogy: Like a self-driving car - it knows where to go and what to do without you steering.
Actuator
Section titled “Actuator”Technical: A device that converts energy into physical motion.
Plain English: Something that makes things move - like a motor that spins or a piston that pushes.
Analogy: Like your muscles - your brain tells them to move and they do.
Alliance
Section titled “Alliance”Technical: A group of three teams working together in a competition match.
Plain English: Your team plus two other teams that you work with during a match.
Analogy: Like being on a sports team with players from different schools temporarily united.
AprilTag
Section titled “AprilTag”Technical: A visual fiducial marker system used for robot localization.
Plain English: Special barcode-like tags the robot can see to know exactly where it is on the field.
Analogy: Like QR codes that tell the robot “I’m at this specific spot on the field.”
Breaker
Section titled “Breaker”Technical: A protective device that interrupts electric current when overloaded.
Plain English: A safety switch that turns off power if something draws too much electricity.
Analogy: Like a circuit breaker in your house that trips when you plug in too many things.
CAN Bus
Section titled “CAN Bus”Technical: A vehicle bus standard that allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate.
Plain English: A shared communication wire that robot parts use to talk to each other.
Analogy: Like a conversation where devices take turns speaking instead of everyone shouting at once.
Chassis
Section titled “Chassis”Technical: The structural framework of a robot that supports all other components.
Plain English: The main frame or body of the robot that everything else attaches to.
Analogy: Like the frame of a car - everything else is built on it.
Command
Section titled “Command”Technical: An action that a robot can perform, defined in the command-based programming pattern.
Plain English: A specific job for the robot, like “drive forward” or “shoot the ball.”
Analogy: Like commands you give a dog - “sit,” “stay,” “fetch” - each makes the dog do something specific.
Controller
Section titled “Controller”Technical: A handheld input device used to control robot operations.
Plain English: The gamepad or joystick you use to drive and control the robot.
Analogy: Like a video game controller - you press buttons and the robot responds.
Deadband
Section titled “Deadband”Technical: A range of input values for which a system produces no output.
Plain English: A small buffer zone where small joystick movements don’t make the robot move.
Analogy: Like how slightly moving a steering wheel doesn’t turn the car - you have to move it past a certain point.
Degrees of Freedom (DOF)
Section titled “Degrees of Freedom (DOF)”Technical: The number of independent ways a mechanical system can move.
Plain English: How many different directions something can move.
Analogy: Your arm has 7 DOF - shoulder can move 3 ways, elbow 1 way, wrist 3 ways.
Driver Station
Section titled “Driver Station”Technical: The software and hardware used to control and monitor a robot during matches.
Plain English: The laptop and software that team members use to control the robot during competition.
Analogy: Like the cockpit of a plane - it shows you what’s happening and lets you control things.
Drivetrain
Section titled “Drivetrain”Technical: The propulsion system of a robot that enables movement.
Plain English: The parts that make the robot move - wheels, motors, and the control system.
Analogy: Like the engine, transmission, and wheels of a car that make it go.
Encoder
Section titled “Encoder”Technical: A sensor that converts mechanical motion into electrical signals to measure position or speed.
Plain English: A device that counts how far a wheel or motor has turned.
Analogy: Like an odometer in a car that counts how many miles you’ve driven.
End Effector
Section titled “End Effector”Technical: The device at the end of a robotic arm designed to interact with the environment.
Plain English: The tool or hand at the end of a robot arm that actually does the work.
Analogy: Like your hand - it’s at the end of your arm and actually grabs things.
FMS (Field Management System)
Section titled “FMS (Field Management System)”Technical: The scoring and match control system used at FRC competitions.
Plain English: The computer system that runs the competition and keeps track of scores.
Analogy: Like the referees and scorekeepers at a sports game, but automated.
Firmware
Section titled “Firmware”Technical: Permanent software programmed into a hardware device.
Plain English: The built-in software that controls how a piece of hardware works.
Analogy: Like the operating system on your phone - it’s always there and controls everything.
Frame Period
Section titled “Frame Period”Technical: The time interval between successive executions of a periodic control loop.
Plain English: How often the robot “thinks” - usually every 20 milliseconds.
Analogy: Like your heartbeat - the robot checks its sensors and adjusts 50 times every second.
Gyroscope (Gyro)
Section titled “Gyroscope (Gyro)”Technical: A device that measures or maintains orientation and angular velocity.
Plain English: A sensor that tells the robot which direction it’s facing and how fast it’s turning.
Analogy: Like the balance system in your inner ear that helps you know if you’re spinning or tilting.
IO (Input/Output)
Section titled “IO (Input/Output)”Technical: The communication between a computer system and the outside world.
Plain English: Information going into and out of the robot computer.
Analogy: Like talking and listening - input is what you hear, output is what you say.
Iteration
Section titled “Iteration”Technical: The repetition of a process in order to generate a sequence of outcomes.
Plain English: Doing something repeatedly, usually with small improvements each time.
Analogy: Like editing an essay - you write it, read it, make changes, and repeat until it’s good.
Technical: A high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language.
Plain English: The programming language we use to tell the robot what to do.
Analogy: Like a language you speak - just as you use English to talk to people, you use Java to talk to robots.
Joystick
Section titled “Joystick”Technical: An input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction.
Plain English: A controller with a stick you can move in different directions to control the robot.
Analogy: Like the joystick on a video game controller - move it and your character moves.
Kalman Filter
Section titled “Kalman Filter”Technical: An algorithm that uses a series of measurements observed over time to estimate variables.
Plain English: A smart way to combine information from multiple sensors to get a better estimate of where you are.
Analogy: Like how you combine what you see, what you hear, and what you feel to understand what’s happening around you.
Latency
Section titled “Latency”Technical: The delay between input and response in a system.
Plain English: The time delay between when you do something and when the robot responds.
Analogy: Like in video games when there’s a delay between pressing a button and seeing the action.
Limit Switch
Section titled “Limit Switch”Technical: A switch that prevents mechanism motion beyond a set point.
Plain English: A sensor that stops a mechanism from moving too far and damaging itself.
Analogy: Like the bumpers on a garage door that make it stop if something is in the way.
Technical: A competitive period in which robots compete to score points.
Plain English: One game where your robot plays against other robots to score more points.
Analogy: Like a game in sports - you play for a set time period and try to score more than the other team.
Mechanism
Section titled “Mechanism”Technical: A system of parts working together to perform a function.
Plain English: A part of the robot that does a specific job, like shooting balls or picking things up.
Analogy: Like tools in a toolbox - each tool (mechanism) has a specific job it does well.
Motor Controller
Section titled “Motor Controller”Technical: A device that regulates the power supplied to an electric motor.
Plain English: The device that tells a motor how fast to spin and in which direction.
Analogy: Like the volume knob on a speaker - it controls how much power goes to the motor.
Odometry
Section titled “Odometry”Technical: The use of data from motion sensors to estimate change in position over time.
Plain English: How the robot knows where it is on the field by counting how much its wheels have turned.
Analogy: Like counting steps to know how far you’ve walked - if you know where you started and count every step, you know where you are.
Operator
Section titled “Operator”Technical: The team member responsible for controlling robot mechanisms during a match.
Plain English: The person who controls the robot’s parts other than driving, like shooting and intake.
Analogy: Like the driver and operator in a construction vehicle - one drives, one operates the machinery.
PID Controller
Section titled “PID Controller”Technical: A control loop mechanism employing feedback to maintain a process at a desired setpoint.
Plain English: A smart way to adjust output to reach and maintain a target, like temperature or speed.
Analogy: Like a thermostat - it checks the current temperature, compares to what you want, and adjusts the heating/cooling.
Technical: A specific location on a device for connecting cables or accessing data.
Plain English: A plug or socket where you connect cables to transfer information or power.
Analogy: Like USB ports on your computer - you plug things into them to communicate.
Technical: A combination of position and orientation in space.
Plain English: Where something is and which way it’s facing.
Analogy: Like your location on a map plus the direction you’re facing.
Robot Code
Section titled “Robot Code”Technical: The software that controls a robot’s behavior and functions.
Plain English: The programs that tell the robot what to do in different situations.
Analogy: Like the instructions that tell a factory robot what to make and how to make it.
ROS (Robot Operating System)
Section titled “ROS (Robot Operating System)”Technical: A framework for writing robot software.
Plain English: A set of tools and libraries that make it easier to program robots.
Analogy: Like a toolbox full of pre-made tools that help you build things faster.
RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)
Section titled “RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)”Technical: A unit of rotational speed indicating how many complete rotations occur in one minute.
Plain English: How fast something spins - the number of full rotations every 60 seconds.
Analogy: Like a car’s tachometer showing engine RPM - higher numbers mean faster spinning.
Sensor
Section titled “Sensor”Technical: A device that detects or measures a physical property and records, indicates, or otherwise responds to it.
Plain English: A device that tells the robot what’s happening - like distance, angle, or light.
Analogy: Like your senses - eyes see, ears hear, skin feels - sensors tell the robot about the world.
Subsystem
Section titled “Subsystem”Technical: A collection of hardware and software that performs a specific function within a larger system.
Plain English: A part of your robot that does one specific job, like driving or shooting.
Analogy: Like departments in a company - sales, engineering, finance - each does its own job but they work together.
Simulation
Section titled “Simulation”Technical: The process of modeling real-world systems with computer programs to predict behavior.
Plain English: A computer version of your robot that you can test without using the real robot.
Analogy: Like a flight simulator for pilots - they can practice flying without actually being in a plane.
Teleop
Section titled “Teleop”Technical: The period of a match where human operators control the robot.
Plain English: The part of the competition when drivers control the robot with controllers.
Analogy: Like when you play a video game - you’re controlling the character in real-time.
Timeout
Section titled “Timeout”Technical: A specified time limit for a command to complete.
Plain English: A maximum time allowed for something to finish before it’s forced to stop.
Analogy: Like a timer in basketball - if the shot clock reaches zero, you must give up the ball.
Trigger
Section titled “Trigger”Technical: An event or condition that causes a command to start executing.
Plain English: Something that starts a robot action, like pressing a button or reaching a certain location.
Analogy: Like a mouse trap - when the mouse touches the trigger (cheese), the trap springs.
Voltage
Section titled “Voltage”Technical: Electric potential difference between two points.
Plain English: The electrical “pressure” that pushes electricity through wires.
Analogy: Like water pressure in a hose - higher pressure means more water flows.
Velocity
Section titled “Velocity”Technical: The speed of something in a given direction.
Plain English: How fast something is moving AND which direction it’s going.
Analogy: Like speedometer + compass - it shows both how fast and which direction.
Waypoint
Section titled “Waypoint”Technical: An intermediate point on a route or line of travel.
Plain English: A specific point the robot should pass through on its way to a destination.
Analogy: Like checkpoints on a race course - you have to pass through each one in order.
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