What is a Voltip?

What is a voltip in Starbound? they seem kind of tossed into the game without any expalination, even in territory. While most other creatures seem to fit in they don't at all. So I ask what are they and who made them, as in the game it says " The result of a scientific experiment gone wrong". They don't seem to broken, and if anything they seem to be the perfect guard dog.

P.S. still are my favorite monster in the game.

 

they exist because of the reason to exist. (and grant the harvestable increadient)

 

There probably isn't any such deep background behind them. They're just pyramid-headed, lighting-shooting wildlife.

They're most common in desert planets and sandy underground caves, which typically also house old Avian-styled ruins, if that helps in any way.

 

Well, they may be the result of an experiment gone wrong that was trying to do something else.

 

I only seem to find them on alien planets, and it is possible that the ancient Avians built them. Also they aren't exactly wildlife as they are machines, they make metallic noise such as the robots when hit.