Python 3 for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)

RobotPy 2016.2.0, PyFRC 2016.2.3 released

RobotPy WPILib 2016.2.0 now has full CANTalon support including enhanced sensor support in simulation, the new motion profiling stuff that was introduced for 2016, and a bunch of new setter functions and other random status things. The simulation hal_data structures have been updated as well, which may break your tests. However, the new API should be easier to use and more consistent.

Additionally, PyFRC 2016.2.3 has been released, with a useful new feature that allows you to select autonomous mode via NetworkTables if you’re using the AutonomousModeSelector object to select autonomous modes (used in the Magicbot framework too). Check out this screenshot:

PyFRC Screenshot

RobotPy releases can be downloaded from our github releases page, and pyfrc can be upgraded using Pip.

NavX device support in RobotPy 2016.1.1 released

This is a bugfix release of RobotPy, and all RobotPy users are recommended to upgrade, particularly owners of NavX devices or those who want to use the PIDController object.

If you want to see the NavX stuff in action, one of the NavX samples that I ported over shows a robot rotating to a specific angle based on a button press, and it works in simulation (not tested on a real robot). Very cool demo – you will need to make sure you have the latest version of pyfrc installed as well.

For NavX device python documentation, see our readthedocs site.

  • Fixed a crash in the PIDController object
  • New version of robotpy-wpilib-utilities 2016.2.0 includes support for the NavX MXP

RobotPy releases can be downloaded from our github releases page.

mjpg-streamer for RoboRIO available in opkg feed

If you’re just trying to view the images from a camera, this can be a great solution. The stream is embeddable in a webpage, so it integrates well with a pynetworktables2js dashboard. Includes an init script that automatically starts mjpg-streamer when the robot starts, and you can edit the settings pretty easily too.

2016 RobotPy now available!

We’re happy to announce the initial release of RobotPy for the 2016 season. This release contains most of the new changes for WPILib in 2016, with the notable exception of some new CANTalon functionality (but we hope to get that updated within the next week or so). Here’s some things that we have available for 2016:

Additionally, the following packages are available through our opkg feed:

  • OpenCV 3.1.0 (C++, Java, and Python bindings)
  • NumPy 1.10.2

Some things that you can look forward to in the future:

  • ipk Packaging for mjpg-streamer
  • robotpy-websim
  • pynetworktables upgrades

The RoboRIO binaries will only work correctly on a RoboRIO that has been reimaged for the 2016 season.

Our initial RobotPy release for 2016 is now available for download on our release page.

A lot of work has been put into this release, and we’re really excited about the upcoming season! Special thanks to Christian Balcom and James Ward for their contributions.

We expect there to be some bugs at first as teams start playing with their new toys, so please report them on our issue tracker as you find them!

OpenCV 3.1.0 for binaries for RoboRIO

The RobotPy project has added precompiled OpenCV 3.1.0 binaries to our 2016 opkg feed, which makes it super easy to use python + opencv on the RoboRIO. I also compiled with Java bindings, so it should be usable from C++ or Java programs if you desire also.

If you want to build your own version, I’ve setup a Vagrant-based VM that you can use to cross compile it.

Caveats:

  • At the moment it’s not compiled with FFMPEG/libav support, but that will be resolved soon
  • These binaries will probably only work on a RoboRIO with a 2016 image.
  • It would be nice to have a good ‘dev’ package that could be downloaded and easily inserted into Eclipse… feel free to add a script that creates this and submit a pull request. :)