hexapod
/ˈhɛksəpɒd/noun
1 Entomology A six-legged arthropod belonging to the class Hexapoda: researchers noted that hexapods and crustaceans shared a different set of important morphological characters the oldest known land animal is a hexapod found in Scotland, dated at 405 million years...
- The matter focuses on an order of minuscule hexapods called collembolans, or springtails, which includes thousands of species.
- Phylogenetic analyses of a wide variety of gene sequences all support the hypothesis that hexapods and crustaceans form a monophyletic group to the exclusion of myriapods and chelicerates.
- Presumably (assuming insects do derive from Crustacea) primitive hexapods evolved from marginal marine and amphibious crustaceans during the late Silurian or early Devonian.
2A six-legged robot: each of the hexapod’s legs are equipped with pressure sensors which allow the bot to respond to its terrain...
- The hexapod had to be considerably lightened and overhauled with a body made from carbon fiber instead of ABS plastic.
- The hexapod is ideal for many applications including industrial automation and manufacturing.
- It is actually the second version of the largest all-terrain hexapod in the world.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Greek hexapous, hexapod-, from hex 'six' + pous 'foot'.