Hybrid Mobility Robot Picture an aerial drone trapped inside one of those ball-shaped Atlaspheres from “American Gladiators,” and you’ve got the Hybrid Mobility Robot — an all-terrain automaton engineered by Scottsdale-based startup Revolute Robotics. Equal parts rover, drone and metallic hamster ball, the robot is designed for inspection, surveil- lance and search-and-rescue in hostile and cramped environments (read: collapsed tunnels, condemned buildings or some- where deep in enemy territory). The coolest part: It can also navigate any surface and transform into flight mode at the flip of a joytick. The brainchild of Revolute co-founders Collin Taylor, a robotics industry veteran, and Sahand Sabet, an engineer who previ- ously worked at JPL, the HMR is aimed at saving lives. “Our primary motivation is keeping humans out of harm’s way,” Taylor told Wired in 2023. Taylor tells Phoenix New Times the company, which was invited to showcase the HMR at Amazon’s re:MARS confer- ence last year, is now preparing to deploy the robot for pilot testing and collecting and validating data ahead of building and releasing the final product. Dax robots Despite what “RoboCop” might’ve led you to believe, the future of AI-powered security isn’t a tyrannical killbot like ED-209. (At least not until our current timeline skews even darker.) Instead, it’s more friendly-faced machines like the Dax robot: compact, wheeled and more like a Disney-esque sidekick than a dystopian enforcer. Miriam Sullivan, marketing director for Daxbot, says that was baked into the company’s robots from the beginning. “The idea behind Dax was, more or less, that robots are going to be in the future and we have some ability to affect that,” she says. “It’s the direction we want to see that going instead of something that’s threatening or unpleasant to have in people’s public spaces.” When describing the design of the Dax robot, Sullivan unintentionally echoes the sci-fi novel “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and its description of robots as “your plastic pal who’s fun to be with.” Sullivan says Daxbot modeled some of its robot’s behaviors — heart eyes, head tilts — after the ways dogs interact with people. Some of its moves are autonomous responses, while others are triggered by human operators at Daxbot’s headquarters in Oregon. “Operators take over when there’s higher decisions to be made, but that’s not necessarily an operator. It also does some level of human-robot interaction just on its own,” Sullivan says. “If it’s answering higher-level questions, it’s probably an operator.” As for comparisons to WALL-E or any other Pixar character, she says they’re unintentional (despite the Daxbot website describing a “movie-type robot”). Like EVE of “WALL-E” fame, the Dax robot can flip from friendly to serious in a heartbeat. Beyond its cutesy encounters with passers-by, its primary function is to “deter, detect (and) delay.” When it encounters disturbances, security compa- nies it partners with in each city, like Transcend Security Solutions in the Valley, see a live feed of what Dax is seeing and can respond. “The idea is they’re there, they’re moni- toring situations, they’re escalating it when need be (and) security will arrive if they need to,” Sullivan says. “But they’re not making public (places) unpleasant for people to be in.” DashMart delivery robots When DoorDash’s delivery bot started cruising East Valley streets last year, curious residents lit up social media. (You would, too, after encountering a googly-eyed mashup of a Vespa and a baby buggy roaming about.) “What kind of robot is this?” one local Reddi- tor asked after spotting the crimson-red contraption. Turns out they’re part of the testing phase of a delivery service for the compa- ny’s DashMart fulfillment platform around Mesa and Tempe. DoorDash spokesperson Hannah Reilly told Phoenix New Times by email the company is testing out “very small-scale, on-road public deliveries.” As such, the robots are typically trailed by a rider on an e-bike to monitor their progress. Spot Spot the robot dog knows more tricks than just how to fetch. These 80-pound mechanical mutts, built by high-profile robotics firm Boston Dynamics, can open doors, drag heavy objects and assist law enforcement in sniffing out explosive devices or keeping tabs on high-risk situations. The Phoenix Police Department snagged one last year. The Arizona Department of Public Safety picked up a pair. The Arizona Republic reported that DPS shelled out a cool $235,949 for its two high-tech hounds, which will join each department’s SWAT teams. Waymo Waymos are inescapable in metro Phoenix. With their sensor-laden exteriors, these AirPod-white autonomous vehicles are a frequent sight navigating Valley roads or idling on side streets waiting for a passenger to summon them. Since launching the nation’s first driver- less taxi service in the East Valley four years ago, the Alphabet-owned Waymo has grown its service area to more than 315 square miles, the largest autonomous ride- hailing territory in the country. Waymo vehicles prowl almost every corner of the Valley, including Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — the only airport in the world offering robotaxis. Once the company is satisfied the cars can handle Phoenix’s version of “Mad Max,” you’ll see them on freeways. Waymo has hit some bumps along the way. Its cars have been known to drive in circles or collide with a telephone pole. The latter led to a voluntary recall of their fleet. With more than 150,000 weekly riders across its operating cities, Waymo’s growing presence in Phoenix has led locals to joke about “calling a robot” instead of “hailing a cab.” Will Waymos replace human-powered ride-sharing services? Probably not completely, says Kane. “There will always be those people who want a human driver behind the wheel of whatever car they’re in,” he says. And yet there’s also something to be said for riding in the back seat, watching a steering wheel turn seemingly of its own volition. Uncanny Valley from p 13 A delivery robot being tested by DoorDash in Mesa and Tempe. (Scott Muller) Adam Pioth, right, with two of the Dax robots at the IDEA Tempe Campus. (Benjamin Leathermanr) A Waymo on the streets of downtown Phoenix. (Benjamin Leatherman) SPOT from Boston Dynamics (DPS)
