Our early robots were as much about solving technological problems as they were about making a difference in people’s lives. Genghis, designed as a model for space exploration, moves around its environment using a limb-based mobility system modeled on insects. The original Genghis was displayed at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Since this ground-breaking creation nearly two decades ago, roboticists have increasingly based robots on the natural designs of various animals.

• Our early robots were as much about solving technological problems as they were about making a difference in people’s lives. Genghis, designed as a model for space exploration, moves around its environment using a limb-based mobility system modeled on insects. The original Genghis was displayed at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Since this ground-breaking creation nearly two decades ago, roboticists have increasingly based robots on the natural designs of various animals.