FTC Robotics Season Prep: 9 Tips to Start BIOBUZZ Strong

Quick Summary: BIOBUZZ™ kickoff is almost here! With the 2026–2027 FIRST^® Tech Challenge season just days away, now is the time to make sure your team, workspace, skills, and equipment are ready. Use this FTC robotics season prep checklist to get organized, build team confidence, and hit the ground running when the new game is revealed.

Get Your FTC Team Ready for BIOBUZZ™

The countdown to the new FIRST^® Tech Challenge is on. On September 12, FTC teams will discover the new game challenge presented by RTX and begin turning ideas into their next competition robot.

You may not know what the game will require yet, but there is plenty your team can do before kickoff. Use these nine preseason tips to get organized, strengthen your team's skills, and prepare to move quickly once BIOBUZZ™ is revealed.

Tip 1: Take a Quick Look Back at Last Season

Before jumping into a new season, take a few minutes to reflect on your DECODE™ experience. A quick review can help your team carry forward what worked and avoid repeating past challenges.

📌 FTC Preseason Check-in:

☐ Celebrate: What did our team do particularly well?
☐ Identify challenges: What slowed us down or caused problems?
☐ Review decisions: Which design or programming choices would we change?
☐ Build skills: What skills should we strengthen this season?
☐ Set goals: What do we want to accomplish during BIOBUZZ™?

You don't need a lengthy meeting. Even a quick team conversation can help everyone start the new season with a clear focus.

Tip 2: Get Your Team on the Same Page

With kickoff approaching, make sure everyone knows how your team will work together once the game is revealed.

Welcome new members, review team expectations, and reinforce the FIRST Core Values, including Gracious Professionalism^® and Coopertition^®.

This is also a good time to clarify team roles and responsibilities. Who will focus on mechanical design? Who will program? Who will document the build? Who will handle outreach and communications? Your team may adjust those roles once you understand BIOBUZZ™ , but having a starting point will help everyone jump into action.

Tip 3: Identify Strengths & Skill Gaps

You don't need to learn every robotics skill before kickoff. Instead, take a quick look at what your team already knows and where you may need additional support.

📌FTC Team Skills Checklist

✓ Design and Engineering: CAD, mechanical design, fabrication, and prototyping ✓ Programming: Java, Blocks, sensors, control logic, and autonomous routines ✓ Electronics: Wiring, power distribution, and troubleshooting ✓ Creative Skills: Presentations, graphic design, photography, video, and social media ✓ Soft Skills: Communication, collaboration, organization, and problem-solving

Knowing your strengths and gaps now will make it easier to assign responsibilities once the BIOBUZZ™ challenge is revealed.

💡Bonus Tip:

If your team plans to submit an Engineering Portfolio, start documenting from day one. Keep track of design ideas, testing, decisions, successes, and failures throughout the season rather than trying to recreate everything later.

Tip 4: Start Practicing

You may not know what BIOBUZZ™ will ask your robot to do yet, but you can practice building and programming. Use this time to experiment with common robot systems such as drivetrains, arms, lifts, linear mechanisms, intakes, servos, sensors, and autonomous routines. The goal isn't to build your robot before kickoff. It's to get your team comfortable designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting so you're ready to prototype quickly when the game is revealed.

Tip 5: Organize Your Workspace and Inventory

Once kickoff arrives, you don't want to spend valuable build time looking for parts or discovering that something important is missing.

Give your workspace a quick preseason reset and make sure your team knows where everything belongs.

📌 Sample Inventory Checklist:

☐ Motors and servos ☐ Actuators ☐ Fasteners and hardware ☐ Structural components ☐ Slide rails ☐ Encoders and sensors ☐ Batteries ☐ Power components ☐ Tools and fabrication equipment Check batteries, chargers, cables, and other frequently used equipment while you're at it. A little organization now can save significant time later.

Tip 6: Know Your Hardware

Now isn't necessarily the time to completely rethink your robot hardware strategy. Instead, make sure your team understands the components you already have and knows which parts could be useful once the game is revealed.

📌 Review Your Available Hardware

Drivetrain components for speed and maneuverability
Smart servos for controlled movement
Linear actuators for lifts and extensions
Slide rails for linear mechanisms
Power components for reliable energy distribution
Encoders and odometry components for autonomous navigation

If there are components your team has never used before, now is a good time to familiarize yourselves with how they work.

That way, when a BIOBUZZ™ mechanism calls for a particular type of motion or control, your team can spend less time learning the hardware and more time solving the engineering challenge.

Tip 7: Learn from the FTC Community

You don't have to start from scratch. One of the best resources available to FTC teams is the larger robotics community. Review technical documentation and check out the FTC Community Forum. You can also explore related videos on YouTube, the FTC subreddit, watch videos on the FUN Robotics Network, and browse Chief Delphi.

Use this final preseason stretch to watch robot reveals, review match footage, and see how other teams have approached engineering challenges.

📌 FTC Team Learning Activities

✓ Watch FTC robot reveal and match videos ✓ Review past game strategies ✓ Explore technical documentation ✓ Research mechanisms you're interested in ✓ Discuss ideas and approaches with other teams Use what you see as inspiration and a learning opportunity. The goal is to understand different engineering approaches and spark ideas your team can develop into its own solutions.

Tip 8: Make a Season Game Plan

The BIOBUZZ™ challenge may be unknown right now, but your team's schedule doesn't have to be. Before kickoff, make sure you have a plan for managing the weeks ahead.

📌 Add Key Dates to Your FTC Calendar

☐ Build and design milestones ☐ Testing and iteration time ☐ Autonomous development ☐ Driver practice ☐ Scrimmages and competitions ☐ Engineering Portfolio updates ☐ Judging preparation ☐ Outreach and team activities

Once the game is revealed, you can add game-specific goals and deadlines. Having a basic framework already in place will help your team stay focused when the build season gets busy.

Tip 9: Check Your Build-Ready Supplies

Having the right parts on hand helps your team prototype quickly and iterate once the BIOBUZZ™ challenge is revealed. Take one final look at your build inventory and identify any components you'll want available for early prototypes.

Need to fill any gaps? These Studica Robotics components can help teams prepare for the season, from power and motion control to linear mechanisms and autonomous performance.

Power Systems

Servo Power Block and FTC Power Block
These compact power solutions help provide reliable power distribution for FTC robot systems, including dedicated power for servos.

Servo Power Block with XT30 Male to JST-VH Cable Bundle - Part 75005

Studica Robotics FTC Power Block - Part 70407

Battery and Power Switch
A competition-ready power system starts with an FTC-approved 12V NiMH battery and an approved main power switch. Studica's 12V 3000mAh NiMH battery and On/Off Power Switch Kit are options for teams building or refreshing their power system.

Studica 12V 3000mAh NiMH Battery Pack PP45 ARES – Part 70025

Studica On/Off Power Switch - Part 70182

XT30 Female to PP45 Cable - Part 70195

Motion Control Components

Multi-Mode Smart Servos
Multi-mode smart servos provide flexible motion options for mechanisms such as arms, intakes, and other moving assemblies.
Linear Servo Actuators
Linear servo actuators provide controlled push-and-pull movement for lifts, arms, and other mechanisms.
Slide Rails
Aluminum slide rails provide a strong, lightweight solution for linear mechanisms, including lifts and extending arms.

Multi-Mode Smart Servo Motor - Part 75002

Studica Linear Servo RC Actuator - Part 75014

Slide Rails from Studica Robotics

Odometry and Autonomous Performance

Cypher Max Encoder with 38mm Omni Wheel
For teams working to improve autonomous navigation, odometry components can provide more precise robot tracking and positioning. The Cypher MAX Encoder paired with a 38mm Omni Wheel offers a compact option for teams exploring advanced autonomous performance.

Cypher MAX Through Bore Encoder - Part 75051

38mm Omni Wheel - Part 76259

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an FTC team do before kickoff?

Before FTC kickoff, focus on readiness rather than predicting the game. Organize your workspace, check your inventory, review team roles, test hardware, and confirm your schedule.

Should we build a robot before the BIOBUZZ™ game is revealed?

You don’t need a complete robot. Use preseason time to practice with drivetrains, mechanisms, sensors, servos, and programming. Small prototypes can help build skills you’ll use after the game is revealed.

What FTC hardware should we have ready for kickoff?

Make sure you have the basics for prototyping and building, including motors, servos, structural components, fasteners, power components, batteries, sensors, and tools. Know what you have and what you may need.

How can FTC teams prepare before the game is revealed?

Focus on transferable skills like mechanical design, programming, autonomous routines, prototyping, troubleshooting, and teamwork.

Where can FTC teams find inspiration?

Look to robot reveal videos, match footage, technical documentation, FIRST resources, robotics forums, and other FTC teams. See how others solve problems and use those ideas to inspire your own designs.

How should we prepare new FTC team members?

Get new members hands-on, introduce them to your tools and processes, and pair them with experienced students when possible. Clear responsibilities and mentorship can help them become confident contributors.

Should we start working on our Engineering Portfolio now?

Yes! Document your season from the start, including design ideas, prototypes, testing, challenges, improvements, outreach, and team accomplishments.

When should FTC teams start planning their season? Ideally, before kickoff. With BIOBUZZ™ just days away, now is the time to organize your workspace, review your team’s skills, confirm your schedule, and get your hardware ready.

Start BIOBUZZ™ Strong

Kickoff is almost here, and your team doesn't have to wait for the game reveal to start preparing. A few simple steps now, like organizing your workspace, checking your equipment, reviewing your team's strengths, and getting everyone on the same page, can give your team a stronger starting point when the BIOBUZZ™ challenge is revealed.

Studica Robotics offers FTC-legal robot components and building solutions to help teams prototype, build, test, and iterate throughout the season. Get ready for the 2026–2027 BIOBUZZ™ season and make the most of every build day ahead. Browse FTC robot parts and kits and get ready to build!