[Henry_Mareck]

i think a sweeper idea would be the most effective, assuming the batons are in the open, or not agianst walls.
But, what if the batons are on a pedestal, or anywhere the robot does not drive on? I think the simplest idea would be just a single grabber, like a pair of pliers with rubber on them. You might need a strong pneumatic to keep it closed if you caught the very end of the baton, it is large and/or heavy.
You might even be able to have two grabbers, seperatley operated. they could grab one together, or grab two seperatley. that might be cool