I watched a video on youtube of a clean sweep robot whose makers had designed one of its appendages to lean against the perimeter wall at the start of the match. By doing this they were able to keep their robot inside the size restrictions of 18’’ by 18’’ by 18’'. After the start of the match their robot would drive away from the wall and the appendage would fall into position. When this happened their robot was larger than the size restrictions. This I know is legal but is it legal to use the perimeter wall to “hold in” your robot’s appendages?
Let’s take a look at Section 4 of the VEX Clean Sweep manual, specifically <R4>.
No, it is not legal to use the perimeter wall to “hold” a robot within the 18" x 18" x 18" size limit. During inspection, robots must be able to fit into the 18" x 18" x 18" on their own, without exerting force on the walls of sizing box. Thus at the beginning of the match they would not be allowed to exert force on the perimeter walls.