Trying to draw upon some initially strange sources of inspiration; Horizon Zero Dawn and the Chimera Ants from HxH.

The idea is a race of bio-mechanical creatures whose original purpose was to optimize a sustainable method of resource extraction and refinement/use. They were swept up and seperated from their creators but still continue to advance their primary directive as well as beginning to adapt and evolve in ways outside of their main purpose.

The whole point of this is to eventually introduce a new type of this creature based on Humans after they encounter and begin to process them.