Ever seen the classic called "Robota"?
Maybe the puppets are too big.
How about Pagano Puppets?
Maybe too big as well.
I suppose you want the figures to be the size of a Big Figure eg. Hulk, Darkseid etc.

A bit off topic here, Wall-E has very nice robot designs that doesn't follow the stereotypical Bender bot. You can make robots on wheels and what not.

You can build lego Mindstorm robots, program them to do whatever action you want. Film them at 24 FPS. Speed up the frame rate to make them look like they move faster.

All this information won't really help but may help you find inspiration.

I never considered Mixels... Good point!

As far as I've been told, Mixel joints are marvelous.
I keep intending to get some myself, but from all I've read they'd be perfect for tiny animated robots.
Obviously they've got a weight limit, but with the size you're looking at that shouldn't be an issue.

I also recommend searching Flickr and MOCpages for "hardsuits." Basically slightly bigger that minifigure sized robots, with minifigure heads. You should be able to find plenty of inspiration and ideas.

(Oh, and somebody please tell me they have a backup copy of Robota!)

I do recommend a few Mixels.  They are cheaply acquired at $5 retail each.  My wife collected the entire first 3 series.  Even if you pick up 2 of them, you'll have something nice.  Look carefully at the ones you pick for the nice ball joints; they don't all have them, but most have useful jointed parts for articulation.

Thanks!  That's been a really useful tip.  Hardsuits are generally around the size I want for the robot, so searching for it generally gets me a bunch of things around that scale.  And while most of those aren't animatable, I've found a few good starting points in some of them.  My prototype android is starting to come along.

Well, after going though a whole lot of prototypes, I've come up with this:

Overall, I'm really happy with it.  I had to spent a lot of time making sure that none of the joints were too loose or too tight so it could be easily moved about.

It has 22 different joints, which is more than three times the number of a standard minifigure, giving it a great range of flexibility.

It also is only around about twice the size of a minifigure.  And I'm really, really happy that I was able to get it that small.  Thus I should only have to build sets around about twice the size of minifigure scale.  Because it still uses clip hands, I can still make it hold most of the accessories that a minifigure can hold.

I'm fresh out of a few of the vital elements required to build this, but perhaps I might be able to create some similar but different designs with other elements so it can have some friends (or perhaps some adversaries.  A flexible robot fight scene would be a marvelous thing to see).

I think you should definitely get some Mixel joints.  I have a few and they feel fantastic, though I have yet to make much use of them.  They feel very solid and stable, and though they obviously won't carry as much weight as Bionicle joints they'd easily be strong enough for the size you're aiming for.  The sockets are the same size as some of the balls of older bricks, so bricks like this are compatible.  They fit snugly in the sockets and have the exact same clutch as new Mixel balls.  Aside from the new joints, the Mixel sets have loads of generally useful parts besides, and they're super cheap at £3 a bag so you wouldn't need to spend much money to get some.

Plus they'll probably simplify the design somewhat so you won't have to rely as much on complicated and probably fragile joints made from clips and suchlike (which also tend to use up your vital bricks).  It'd also be great to inject some variety in your robot designs.  This one you've built here looks pretty thick and heavy, I'd like to see a comparatively tall and slender one.

And as far as getting money goes, all you have to do is get a job.

Wow! Personally, I think that looks just perfect, Squid! As long as they aren't too fragile, I think those joints look a lot better than if you were to use Mixel ones. The joints you used give it a much more complex, realistic look IMO.

Squid, that is amazing.
Sure, some of the joints may be a bit fragile, but I wouldn't change a thing.
It looks beast.