Arm/Gripper design

[Fr0stAngel]

hi,

I am helping out some juniors who are taking part in a robotics competition. to, cut the long story short, the objective is to pick and place 3 colored boxes at their correct location while navigating via line following.

box dimensions

currently , we were thinking of making a arm+gripper (only 1 link) that would clamp on from top, using protruding ledges as support point for the gripper.
an alternative would be to utilize the holes to lift it up.
 
i would like to know your idea about a sturdy arm+gripper that could work best, with weight of the boxes being 400-450 gm, since the box needs to be 'lifted' from the ground during the operation. would there be any other way to do it other than a manipulator?
thanks..!

[Soeren]

Hi,

Did you consider something like a fork lift, with an "arm" to keep the box from sliding away when you "load" it and for pushing against it when you "unload it"?
Except for the arm, which is needed at the box is light and doesn't stand on a pallet, it's what is used millions of times each day (to stack goods of almost any kind) and it doesn't need any excess space in front of the 'bot like a gripper would.
The "fork" could be slid under the 'bot or turned to a vertical position when not in use.