Computer Requirements for FIRST Programs
FIRST® programs, such as FIRST® LEGO® League, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST® Robotics Competition, are as unique as the teams that participate in them. This uniqueness is partially due to the wide variety of vendors that provide technologies to the programs, the hardware and software necessary to manage each program’s distinctive goals, and the constantly evolving landscape of tools and techniques that teams find useful to participate and excel. One commonality between programs is the need for teams to have a computer platform for software development, design, and collaboration. This document serves as a recommendation for the hardware and operating system requirements for that computer system.
Of the many factors that can affect the minimum requirements for a computer, these are the ones that affect those requirements most heavily:
Any role-specific tasks that the computer may perform in the program
Type of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software that may be used on the computer
Software development and hardware update requirements
Vendor-specific application requirements and limitations
Program-Specific Requirements
Each program has a unique set of requirements, but each of those requirements can be met with a minimum computer configuration. This section attempts to identify the minimum requirements for each program’s roles. Specific recommended hardware that meets each of the requirements are listed in the “Recommended Hardware Sets” section.
Recommended Computer Hardware for FIRST® LEGO® League
FIRST LEGO League has two divisions which use programmable platforms: FIRST LEGO League Challenge which uses the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime platform, and FIRST LEGO League Explore which uses the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential platform. Both platforms have virtually the same computer requirements, differences are noted below. These platforms are some of the most accessible, as they are supported by most computer configurations.
Recommended for Software Development:
Also Supported:
-
LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential hub cannot be updated with iPad
-
LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential not supported
It is also recommended to have an active internet connection to access the Google Play Store (for Chromebook Android apps), to download in-app content, to access teacher support materials, and to use certain features such as live weather data.
Recommended Computer Hardware for FIRST® Tech Challenge
The predominant hardware platform used in FIRST Tech Challenge is the REV Control Hub and REV Driver Hub. These platforms have unique operating system and application requirements, though it is possible to perform most of the basic functions with most hardware platforms (albeit with more manual steps). Teams in FIRST Tech Challenge use computers for two basic purposes – software development and CAD – and team preference in these two uses shapes the required hardware.
Recommended for Software Development and CAD:
Recommended for Software Development Only:
-
Only cloud CAD solutions are recommended
OnShape, SolidWorks 3D Experience, etc.
Also Supported:
-
REV Hardware Client not supported
Must update manually using browser-based interface
-
REV Hardware Client not supported
Must update manually using browser-based interface
Android Studio not supported
Only Blocks and OnBotJava supported
It is also recommended to have an active internet connection during software development. Access to https://github.com is required by the REV Hardware Client to download and install required season software updates and is required for Android Studio users to download software templates.
Recommended Computer Hardware for FIRST® Robotics Competition
The predominant hardware platform used in FIRST Robotics Competition is the NI roboRIO. This platform has a unique set of requirements for computer hardware in competition that may be different than requirements for software development depending on the programming environment. Like FIRST Tech Challenge, teams in FIRST Robotics Competition use software development computers for two basic purposes – software development and CAD – and team preferences in these two uses shape the required hardware. However, in FIRST Robotics Competition there are two roles that computers can serve, such as Software and Design Development platforms and/or Driver Station platforms, and those roles also shape the requirements of the computer hardware.
It is recommended to have two separate computers, one to use for the Driver Station platform and another for Software and Design Development, though one laptop can be used for both purposes if necessary.
Driver Station
The driver station computer is used as the primary interface to the robot, is used to interface with the Field Management System (FMS) at an event and is limited by the software tools used to communicate with the hardware and software platform on the robot. Teams find it advantageous to have separate computers for the Driver Station role and for the Software and Design Development role to enable them to segregate the duties and physical demands of the systems at an event. Budget-conscious teams can certainly use a single computer for both roles if that computer at least meets the minimum requirements of the Driver Station role. Note that the Driver Station role requires a Windows operating system, as the applications required to perform the role’s duties are Windows-only applications.
Recommended for the Driver Station role:
Also Supported:
Software Development and Design
Like FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Robotics Competition teams use Software Development and Design laptops for Software Development and CAD, and depending on the use of CAD the hardware requirements are slightly different:
Recommended for the Software and Design Development role with CAD:
Recommended for Software Development Only:
-
Only cloud CAD solutions are recommended
OnShape, SolidWorks 3D Experience, etc.
Also Supported:
-
REV Hardware Client not supported
LabVIEW software not supported
It is also recommended to have an active internet connection during software development. Access to https://github.com is required by the REV Hardware Client to download and install required season software and firmware updates. Additional software may have similar requirements.
Recommended Hardware Sets
These are the Recommended Hardware sets referenced by the Program-Specific Requirements. There are a few extra requirements and recommendations for all hardware platforms, such as:
Windows Operating System
Support for Windows 10 is ending in mid-2025, so purchasing a Windows system that supports Windows 11 is highly recommended. While not all software is specifically labeled as being supported by Windows 11, virtually all the required software has been tested to work with Windows 11.
USB Ports
Laptops should have at least 2 available physical USB-A ports.
For FIRST Tech Challenge, USB-C ports on laptops are not able to work properly with the REV Control Hub nor REV Driver Hub, so it is important to have USB-A ports also available.
Bluetooth
For FIRST LEGO League, it is important that laptops and tablets support Bluetooth 4.0 or above.
Physical Ethernet Ports
While most features of hardware and software can be easily supported by Wi-Fi, in some situations (such as the Driver Station for FIRST Robotics Competition) having a physical RJ-45 ethernet port on the system is a huge benefit.
SSD Hard Drive
While not specifically required, hard drives that use SSD technology (versus spinning disk technology) boot up faster and are less likely to be damaged when carrying while powered on or experiences “unexpected bumps” as is common for a FIRST Robotics Competition Driver Station computer.
Windows Performance Laptop
A laptop designed for high graphics performance containing a high-end processor, like a Dell G16 or HP Omen, with the following recommended specs:
Processor: Intel Core i7, AMD Ryzen 7, or better
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 or better
Memory: 16GB RAM or more, 32GB preferred
Storage: 512 GB SSD or greater, 1TB SSD preferred
Ethernet: RJ-45 Ethernet Port preferred
Ports: 2 or more USB type A ports preferred
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 or better
Wi-Fi: Integrated Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6E or better preferred
Operating System: Windows 10 or better, Windows 11 preferred
Windows Standard Laptop
A standard Windows laptop, like a Dell Inspiron 15 or HP Pavilion Laptop, designed for smooth performance and everyday tasks,
Processor: Intel Core i5, AMD Ryzen 5, or better
Graphics: Intel or AMD embedded graphics adapter or better
Memory: 8GB RAM or more, 16GB preferred
Storage: 256GB or greater, 512 GB SSD preferred
Ethernet: RJ-45 Ethernet Port preferred
Ports: 2 or more USB type A ports preferred
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 or better
Wi-Fi: Integrated Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6E or better preferred
Operating System: Windows 10 or better, Windows 11 preferred
MacOS Standard Laptop
A standard MacOS laptop, like a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, designed for smooth performance and everyday tasks.
Processor: Apple M1 or better, Apple M2 preferred
Memory: 4GB RAM or more
Storage: 2GB available storage space or better
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 or better
Operating System: MacOS Mojave 10.14 or newer
iOS Standard Tablet
A standard iOS tablet, such as an iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 4 or newer.
Operating System: iOS 13 or newer
Chrome OS Standard Laptop
A standard Chromebook, such as the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, or similar.
Processor: 1.40 GHz Intel Celeron 2955U dual-core processor or better
Memory: 4GB RAM or better
Storage: 3GB available storage space or better
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 or above
Operating System: Android 7.0 or newer
Android Standard Tablet
A standard Android Tablet, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, or similar.
8” display or larger
Memory: 3GB RAM or better
Storage: 3GB available storage space or better
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 or above
Operating System: Android 7.0 or newer