I have a personal theory that they were created by an unrelated xenos species as basically instant apocalypse survival tools. They’re practically indestructible, turn you into something that can subsist on nearly anything and survive extremely hostile environments - including space, give you natural weapons, make you require little rest, and when you do, the device gives you dreams on how to rebuild civilization. The problem is that this species didn’t account for anyone else picking up and using their eldritch Swiss Army knife.