No, this would not be legal. Appendix B includes the following line:
Please note that all rules from “The Game” section of the manual apply to the Robot Skills Challenge, unless otherwise specified.
None of the Appendix B rules permit this. Thus, it would violate a few different standard rules.
<G8> Hands out of the field. Drive Team Members may only touch the Team’s controls and Robot at specified times during a Match as per <G8a>. Drive Team Members are prohibited from making intentional contact with any Game Object, Field Element, or Robot during a Match, apart from the contact specified in <G8a>.
<G9> Autonomous means “no humans”. During the Autonomous Period, Drive Team Members are not permitted to interact with the Robot in any way, directly or indirectly. This could include, but is not limited to:
• Activating any controls on their VEXnet Joysticks or V5 Controllers.
• Unplugging or disconnecting from the field in any way.
• Triggering sensors (including the Vision Sensor) in any way, even without touching them.