Dozens of spiral tubes emerged from the ground overnight, constructed like giant cocoons. These weren’t created by nature, but by a swarm of silkworm-inspired robots called Fiberbots. These robots could one day help build bridges or buildings.

Each Fiberbot is a 30-centimetre-tall cylinder with a thin arm sticking out from the top. To build a tube, the robot’s arm winds fibreglass thread around its body. After creating an 8-centimetre long segment, Fiberbot then crawls forward to build the next section. …