In 2016, Team 971 implemented an intake bar with a single row of wheels that could rotate up or come down to extend past the frame perimeter. A notable feature of this bar is the metal tube that goes on the very end of it, which functions as a bumper of sorts. If the robot were to hit a wall or other obstacle with its intake out, the force would be absorbed by this tube rather than the wheels. This protects the wheels and also prevents things from getting caught in them.

Crystal Zhang