I have an idea for a project, and although I only have a bit of experience with everything, (coding, CAD, electronics, etc.) and ~0 experience in robotics, I'd be willing to put as much time and effort as needed to build it. I just want to make sure that this project is hard, and not impossible and/or super expensive. (EDIT: around $1000)
The idea is for a six-legged robot that can be controlled to move around as well as do things like stand up and lean, and can maintain its balance, similar to the Spot dog. As an extra objective, I want to build a smaller hexapod that can jump/climb onto it and can also balance.
I hope this explains my project well enough for people to gauge its feasibility.
EDIT: Bonus question: All of the self-balancing robots I've seen like the Spot dog from Boston Dynamics and MIT's Mini-Cheetah are all four-legged. Any examples of this being done for hexapods/reasons there aren't any?
One place to start would be to buy one of the several available hexapod kits, put it together and learn how to write code for walking and other movements.
I have no personal experience with hexapods, so can't advise on specific kits. There are several, so check the reviews.
I have been interested in how to make them walk, and there is some fascinating work on the theory of different gaits, for example studies of energy usage, optimizing speed and stability, etc. Some people have been using machine learning to invent new gaits. It is far from trivial work, as it can be thought of as recreating millions of years of insect evolution.
Search phrases like "hexapod gait simulation" will turn up plenty of material.
