I know there is, or was. A meth head I knew used old cell phones to watch to outside of his house. I saw the app and it worked really well. The phones were all on the same wifi and had no cell service.
I think this could have worked if the employees being replaced owned the robots. They don’t have the capital anymore but when there was a middle class this could have been a possibility.
The motor could turn with the wheel. You could have a wheel-motor without the excessive unsprung weight of the motor components.