Hybrid architecture

A multi-robot system design that combines a swarm handling one part of a task (typically the genuinely parallel, low-risk, or access-limited part) with a single robot, a smaller centrally coordinated fleet, or a human crew handling another part (typically the sequential, high-precision, or safety-critical part), rather than forcing the entire task into one pure architecture.

A real multi-agent system that does not fit cleanly into one of Topic 8.1's three named patterns, requiring the relevant sub-audit run separately on each matching portion rather than a single forced label, per the primary's own caveat that "there is no universally correct architecture for a multi-agent setup" (MGF v1.5, p.8) (see Topic 8.1).

A robot control architecture that combines reactive and deliberative elements, typically running a fast reactive layer for immediate safety and stability alongside a slower deliberative layer for mission-level decisions. The majority of capable modern robot systems use hybrid architectures.

A system design that layers a generalist or learned component, typically responsible for flexible perception or reasoning, with a bounded classical component, typically responsible for safety-critical execution, rather than relying on either approach exclusively.