Offizielle Frage&A: VEX V5 Robotics Competition 2026-2027: Override

At a local competition, a team used a mechanism for neutralizing toggles which was, essentially, a horizontally expanding arm with many zip-ties attached, which would count as part of the robot and neutralize toggles which have been contacted, per <SC4>.

Per <SG2>, "The Robot can never be larger than 24” wide or 24” long at any point during the Match (must fit within a 24” x 24” square horizontal footprint)."

During robot re-inspection, referees found that, when contacting no game elements, the mechanism expanded to barely less than 24 inches horizontally, but when the zip-ties were stretched to maximum extension, the robot expanded out of the 24-inch limit. Referees were unable to definitively determine after the match if the zip-ties on the robot had expanded out of the 24-inch limit when contacting game elements or with other robot movements.

We ask the following:

1. During inspection, how is the maximum expansion of the robot to be determined for flexible components which the team cannot be reasonably be expected to control the movement of in-match: size post-expansion in a resting position, or size post-expansion with flexible components stretched out to what one could possibly expect in a match?
2. How are referees to make calls when the momentary expansion or expansion post-contact of a mechanism like this cannot be determined?
3. If a robot has provably momentarily expanded past the 24" limit with such a mechanism even after passing inspection, what are the consequences in qualification and elimination rounds?