✳
Living hexapods
Insects and their relatives: light, resilient, and astonishingly capable.
Explore biology →THE FIELD GUIDE TO SIX-LEGGED THINGS
Built for the
world beneath
our feet.
From the ancient elegance of insects to the clever mechanics of walking robots—welcome to the place where every leg has a story.
Start exploring →6
HPD / 001WHAT IS A HEXAPOD?
Six legs are not a limitation. They’re an invitation.
A hexapod is any creature or machine that moves through the world on six legs. Think ants and beetles. Think search-and-rescue robots. Think the next thing you build.
The story of the hexapod ↗A BIG FAMILY
Meet the types.
Nature evolved the blueprint. Engineers kept iterating.
⬢
Robotic hexapods
Programmable six-legged machines for research, industry, and play.
Explore robots →⌁
Biomimetic systems
Robots that borrow nature’s elegant solutions to hard terrain.
Explore movement →PROJECTS IN MOTION
Made by curious
people like you.
Share your project ↗01
Scout / an open terrain walker
Open source · Arduino
02
Horizon / research platform
Research · ROS 2
03
HexaKit / first robot build
Beginner · Micro:bit
IN THE WILD
Six legs,
seen everywhere.
LEAF-CUTTER ANT
ATT A CELOTES
ATT A CELOTES
ROCKY OUTCROP
FIELD STUDY
FIELD STUDY
LAB PROTOTYPE
2025
2025
STICK INSECT
PHASMIDA
PHASMIDA
LEARN THE BASICS
From first step
to sure footing.
01
How hexapods walk
Tripod gait, stability, and why six points of contact change everything.
Read guide →02Build your first one
A friendly roadmap from servo choice to your first walking sequence.
Start building →03Choose a platform
Compare common robot architectures before committing to a build.
Compare types →BUILDER’S BENCH
A practical
parts list.
Start with the components that earn their place on every capable hexapod.
- 18× High-torque servos the legs
- 1× 18-channel controller the conductor
- 1× Microcontroller the brain
- 1× LiPo battery pack the heartbeat
COMPARE TYPES
What are you
building?
Our starting pointArduino + standard servos
Affordable, repairable, and perfect for learning the gait fundamentals.
FROM THE FIELD
News & notes.
FIELD NOTE · 06.12.26
Why insects still teach robots how to recover from a stumble
Read article →BUILD LOG · 05.28.26
A quieter, smoother gait with one small change in timing
Read article →COMMUNITY · 05.09.26
The ten most helpful first-build lessons from the forum
Read article →THE COMMON GROUND
Bring your
questions.
A discussion space for builders, bug-watchers, researchers, and anyone with a soft spot for six-legged things.
Start a discussion →BUILD HELP
Servo jitter after adding the sixth leg
24 replies · 2 hours agoFIELD NOTES
Best first book on insect locomotion?
18 replies · YesterdaySHOW & TELL