that is not a shelf.
it is a ball sucker, there is a roller there connected to the chip that can suck up and hold up to 6 balls. and it spits them out really fast too (we're wondering if we'll be able to get them into the ball coral from a distance)
it can actually hold 2 big balls. the wrist in the jaw lets it place one of the 2x balls on top the cage where it is cradled. the claw can then grab another one if it the next ball is on top of a goal. this pic is from a while ago, so its hardly complete.
the goal grabber in the back is configured so that it also provides a lever that lifts the bot onto the platform. its pretty cool - its not the piston of the grabber that lifts the bot, but the motion of the bot itself.
we have some sweet new gearboxes this year. you can see them
here. 2 drills 2 FP's, high gear 14.5 feet/sec low gear 8.5 feet/sec.