TIME has just released its Best Inventions of 2006, covering categories like tech toys (Ugobe the dinosaur, a magic mirror) military (search-and-rescue robot for the battlefield), health (hypoallergenic cat, infrared alcohol test), fashion (the HugShirt, which simulates the feeling of being embraced) and so on.
This one above is Stickybot, a mechanical lizard with adhesive feet modeled after geckos. The robot is built by Sangbae Kim, Mark Cutkosky and the RiSE team at Stanford University.
Links: TIME Best Inventions 2006