[KenWittlief]

I dont see how you can define the function of controlling the large 2X balls:

-acquiring ~2' dia, 3 lb ball from a goal, from the center platform, or from the floor
-placing them on the 4 foot or 6/8 foot goals
- removing them from the goals
-holding them securly during the match to retain possesion

the same as climbing the bar:

-reaching straight up 10 feet
-latching onto a 3" dia pipe
-lifting a 130 lb machine straight up

this is what I was talking about with complexity going 4X when you try to combine the two - the degrees of motion required are different - the end effector is different - the amount of weight to be moved is different - the direction of motion is different

combining the two will make the resulting mechanism much more complicated than it needs to be. I can picture a very simple spring loaded mechanism that can be released once to extend up 10', and capture the bar - and pull the bot up - it only needs strength in the downward direction

but to move the balls you need something like a robot arm - making that strong enought to lift the bot with instead of only moving a 5 lb ball around is a whole nuther ball of wax.

and again, if your multi function arm breaks - you lose big time - you lose BOTH functions on your machine in that match - sure you can fix it later, but you cant get those points back.