This robot, made by Josh Bongard, Victor Zykov, and Hod Lipson, is capable of discovering its physical properties and using this discovered body model to develop a successful walking gait.

The real feat comes when engineers remove a part of its leg: The robot senses a change in its structure and begins walking in a different way to compensate. The demonstration is the first proof that a robot can generate a conception of itself and then adapt to damage, a handy skill to have in unpredictable environments.

Robotic Introspection: Self Modeling -[via] Link.