Easiest way to pick up fairly large (light-weight) objects?

[Asymphonic]

I'm entering a robotics competition. What is the easiest way to pick up a ply-wood box 18x18x18 cm, using some robotic arm mechanism perhaps, or something like that?

I figured sliding something underneath the box would be easy, but:

1. The robot is enclosed in light plywood walls, around 10 inches high, and located 6 cm away from the box, from 3 sides. The walls must not fall as you pick the object up.

2. The object must then be places into a similar cubbyhole, but it's 4 inches elevated. Again, surrounded by plywood from 3 sides.

I'm fairly a beginner, so nothing to complicated.

I'm thinking 2 parallel robotic arms, capable of moving vertically with some rubber grip type thing at the end, which will open/close to hold the object. What say?

[Soeren]

Hi,

If you use the arms to hold the box (perhaps tilting or lifting it slightly to allow entry underneath it) while sliding something under it, it won't topple the walls.
If that something is constructed like a fork lift, it could raise the bow the 10" and then just have the "fork" retract, the vertical lift construction will stop the box and when the "fork" is free of the box, it's Job Done.