Patent ID: 8038503

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a body; a rotational motor coupled to the body; an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of legs are: constructed from a flexible material; integrally coupled to the body at the leg base; and include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load; and wherein each of the plurality of legs has a diameter of at least five percent of a length of the leg between the leg base and the leg tip and forces from rotation of the eccentric load interact with a resilient characteristic of the at least one driving leg to cause the at least one driving leg to propel the apparatus in a forward direction and to leave a support surface as the apparatus translates in the forward direction.