one of the reasons robots like this look so unnatural is that they're trying to locomote entirely using active control (i.e., the controller tries to calculate

one of the reasons robots like this look so unnatural is that they're trying to locomote entirely using active control (i.e., the controller tries to calculate the correct position and force continuously) with rigid limbs. animal systems have passive-dynamic components (e.g., spring-mass-damper) that smooth out discontinuities and inherently self-corrects for many unanticipated situations. robots that incorporate passive elements (and this robot just might have some, it's hard to tell from 30 secs of video) would look more natural and have better self-stabilization.