*Revolute Robotics’ hybrid mobility robot features a durable exoskeleton and customizable payloads for inspection and surveillance tasks. | Source: Revolute Robotics

While some startups are trying to create the perfect flyer, and others are trying to create an invincible rider, Revolute Robotics has taken a more elegant path. Why choose when you can have both? Their hybrid robots resemble the very student in the session who can write an essay and bring beer — universal soldiers of the digital age. The recently raised $1.9 million is not just an investment, it is a bet that the future belongs to machines that refuse to play by the rules and choose one element.

What are these hybrids and why do they need two elements?

Imagine a standard drone. He flies, but he lands, and that's it, he's helpless. Now imagine a ground robot. He drives, but any ladder or pit is an insurmountable obstacle for him. Revolute robots break this dichotomy. They were born with a simple philosophy: if there is an obstacle in the way, fly around it. If you need to do a lengthy inspection, sit down and save energy.

"Our robots use ground mobility for long—term missions with minimal energy consumption, and aerial mobility for overcoming difficult obstacles or viewing from a height," the startup's founders explain.

It's like the T-1000 from Terminator, but in the service of logistics and inspections. Such a robot can enter a building through a door, drive along a corridor, and then take off to inspect ceiling communications or climb a flight of stairs to the next floor. It is not tied to the infrastructure — it is the infrastructure itself.

Where would such talents come in handy? Yes, almost everywhere

The scope of application of these amphibians is limited only by the customer's imagination:

Warehouse of the future. The robot rides down the aisle, checking inventory, and takes off to read the barcode from the top shelf, which no loader can reach.

Industrial inspection. Drive through the workshop, inspect the equipment at floor level, and then take off and check the condition of the pipelines under the ceiling — one mission, one robot.

Rescue operations. In a blocked building, he can drive through relatively free areas and take off to look through the cracks and find victims, where neither pedestrian groups nor ordinary drones can get through.

Logistics of the "last mile". Deliver a small cargo from a street courier to a specific floor and apartment, combining a trip down the street and a flight to the balcony.

"Hybrid mobility opens up completely new possibilities for automation in complex, unstructured environments where a combination of different technologies is required today," the company is confident.

A technological challenge or how to make friends with wheels and propellers

Creating such a robot is not just about screwing propellers to a typewriter. This is an engineering rebus:

Weight and balancing. The structure should be light enough for flight, but strong enough for ground movement. Shifting the center of gravity during transformation can make the robot unstable.

Energy efficiency. Flying requires tremendous energy expenditure. Algorithms should ideally calculate when it is more profitable to drive and when it is more profitable to fly over.

Safety. Rotating propellers near people is always a risk. The robot must have emergency stop systems and protective covers.

Autonomy. The robot must make its own decision about changing the driving mode, assessing the height of the obstacle, battery charge and the difficulty of flying around.

Managing digital amphibians and their place in the economy

When a fleet of such universal machines becomes a reality, the question will arise: how to optimally use this resource? The owner of three hybrid robots in St. Petersburg may not know that Moscow urgently needs the same "talent" to inspect the bridge.

This is where the value of ecosystems like the world's first robot hiring platform comes in. jobtorob.com . It could be an ideal tool for managing the "employment" of such highly specialized hybrids. The owner of the robot registers it in the system, indicating its unique skills: "maximum flight altitude of 50m", "off-road wheels", "can operate at -30 °C". A company that needs to inspect a remote facility finds this "specialist" through the platform. jobtorob.com hires him for a day or two and gets the necessary data without buying expensive equipment forever. This is a new sharing economy, but for a robotic workforce.

What is the result? The future belongs to those who do not fit into the framework

Revolute Robotics is not just another robotics startup. This is a symptom of a deeper trend: the rejection of narrow specialization in favor of versatility and adaptability. Their robots are the digital embodiment of the good old saying "who gets lucky gets dragged," reinterpreted for the age of AI.

They show that the next generation of robots will not be focused on one task. It will be an army of universal assistants capable of navigating our complex, chaotic world without asking whether they ride on wheels or propellers. And, perhaps, soon in the resume of a successful robot in his profile on jobtorob.com It will be proudly displayed: "Experience working in two elements. I am ready for any challenges."