Nanomembranes are thin, flexible, transferable and can be shaped into 3D micro- and nanoarchitectures.This makes them attractive for a broad range of applications and scientific research fields ranging from flexible magnetoelectronic devices to ultra-compact autonomous micro- and micro-biorobotic systems.If nanomembranes are differentially strained they deform themselves and roll-up into tubular structures upon release from their mother substrate. Rolled-up nanomembranes can be exploited to rigorously compact electronic circuitry, energy storage units and novel optical systems.If appropriate materials are chosen, rolled-up tubes act as tiny catalytic jet engines which in the ultimate limit may drive compact multifunctional autonomous systems for medical and environmental applications. If magnetic tubes are combined with flagella-driven sperm cells, such hybrid micro-biorobots offer new perspectives towards artificial reproduction technologies.