[StevenB]

A ball auger is a great idea, and it's been used effectively by many teams, most recently in 2009 (Lunacy) and 2006 (Aim High). However, in both of those years, robots were allowed to pick up as many balls as they could hold, and an auger provided a simple mechanism to hold and manipulate a ton of balls. Because of the 3-ball limit this year, I think a shorter pathway will be more effective and take up a lot less space in your robot.

You can use belts, rollers, brushes, wheels, or other devices to move the balls within your robot, both horizontally and vertically. Even gravity and a ramp can work under the right circumstances. Often teams will use a roller that grabs the top of the ball and a wedge that scoops the ball off the floor while maintaining pressure against the roller to pull the ball off the floor. Once the ball is up and into your robot, you can do almost anything.

Browse around CD-media for a while and you'll see tons of designs.