[sciencenerd]

Well to start off, the types of manipulation available to a robot would depend on exactly what the baton looked like. For example: Are the ends flared? Is it hollow? Is it an open tube? How much does it weigh? Another important thing to consider while solving this problem is what you are going to have to do with the baton. If you just have to lift it up and put it in another place, that is one thing, but if you have to manipulate it in more sophisticated ways (such as loading it into a tube, for example) a more complex system capable of a greater range of motion is necessary. In other words, for a complete and plausible answer more information is necessary. Obviously in any solutions proposed, many properties of the baton are going to have to be assumed to make it easier to work with the model.

One way I can think of to pick up and manipulate with a fair range of motion a non-flared, tube-like baton (think a length of PVC pipe) is with two mechanisms, one relatively simple "positioner" and another, more complex "manipulator". In this design, I am also assuming you have to do something more complicated with the pipe than move it from point A to point B, so I have a component that allows the baton to be manipulated with some degree of dexterity.

The Positioner
The positioner would be a simple pair of jaws with two states: open and closed. The jaws would be long enough and open wide enough to open around a baton positioned near in front of a robot and close, positioning the baton in a defined location in front of the robot.

The Manipulator
From this point, the manipulator would take over. The end of the manipulator would be a prong that could extend through the interior of the baton. Once the manipulator had moved all the way into the baton, it would spring up a stop (or perhaps more than one) on the end, which would hold the baton in place on the prong. The prong within the baton would be attached to an arm that could manipulate the baton wherever it needed to go, loading it into a hole, or placing it in a hammock, or whatever else the challenge required.

Please critique! As they say... well I'm sure there's some famous quote on the necessity of peer review.