This is a what is termed an "evidential robot," so-called because its job is to into crime scenes and detect (and possibly retrieve) genetic and other evidence, without genetic contamination from police or other investigators.  In other words, its purpose is to retrieve evidence with a minimum of disturbance to the 'pristine' crime scene.  Thus, the robot is designed for maximum agility and cleanliness.   Most types are equipped with multiple transit modes (in this case, coasters, 'feet' or 'tiptoes').  Most also have a wide variety of information-gathering equipment -- sampling probes, sensors, internal pristine storage, etc.  The design represented here is obviously derived from a sandcrab, a creature naturally evolved to pluck things from its environment with a minimum of intrusiveness.
 

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