The design will be somewhat based on the stick-figure animation shown on http://www.matrix.mechanicalspider.com/ as this gives a simple system which should be fairly easy to replicate.
This will be made on the laser cutter in order to machine precise "layers" and potentially can be driven using some micro gearmotors I have lying around, although these are small and potentially too weak to drive it.
In order to build it and get it laser cut I first have to build it in solidworks, but this also helps me prototype as I can set sizes and lengths and see whether these work in simulation without the cost and effort of building it first.