The Rise and Fall of Prompt Engineering: A Vanishing Role in the Age of AI

Just two years ago, prompt engineering emerged as a promising new job in the tech world. As large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT took center stage, companies began seeking out specialists who could craft the most effective prompts to maximize AI performance. These professionals acted as intermediaries, translating human intentions into language that AIs could process efficiently.

Today, that role has virtually disappeared.

At the onset of the corporate AI boom, some organizations experimented with hiring prompt engineers to manage internal AI tools. But the need for dedicated roles quickly diminished. Now, crafting strong prompts is seen as a basic skill—something embedded into broader job functions rather than a specialized position. In many cases, companies even rely on AI itself to generate high-quality prompts.

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How the Industrial Metaverse Is Revolutionizing Manufacturing

What once required a team of engineers physically pushing car chassis through factory assembly lines is now handled entirely in simulation. At BMW, digital twins—virtual replicas of entire factories—allow engineers to test and refine production processes long before a single piece of machinery is installed. This shift is part of a larger transformation happening in manufacturing, driven by what’s now being called the industrial metaverse.

While consumer visions of the metaverse have faltered, the industrial application of these technologies is thriving. The industrial metaverse—an ecosystem of interconnected simulations, sensors, 3D models, and augmented reality—offers manufacturers the ability to virtually plan, test, and optimize physical processes in a digital environment. According to the World Economic Forum, the industrial metaverse is expected to reach a global market value of $100 billion by 2030.

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3D-Printed Woodlouse Trap Offers Eco-Friendly Solution for Gardeners

A clever 3D-printed model by the maker “Overton Prints” is providing gardeners with a humane and effective way to manage woodlice (also known as pillbugs) in their garden beds. Shared for free on the Thingiverse platform, the design can be printed using any standard FDM 3D printer, making it accessible to hobbyists and gardening enthusiasts alike.

Rather than eliminating the woodlice, the goal of the design is to relocate them from sensitive garden areas to locations where they can continue their beneficial role in decomposition—such as compost heaps. The trap works without any bait. Instead, it uses the natural behavior of woodlice, which are drawn to cool, damp, and dark environments. The printed model is designed to recreate this ideal microclimate, making it an attractive refuge for the pests.

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Breakthrough in Robotic Touch: Researchers Solve Key Sensor Flaw for Smarter, More Sensitive Robots

A team of researchers from Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University has made a critical discovery that could revolutionize robotic touch by making it more sensitive, accurate, and affordable. The advancement addresses a previously unnoticed flaw in the materials commonly used in flexible sensors—paving the way for robotic skins that better mimic the human sense of touch.

At the heart of the breakthrough is a deeper understanding of conductive elastomer composites, materials often used in robotic sensors and wearable electronics. The team discovered that a thin, nearly invisible insulating layer forms on the surface of these composites during manufacturing. This layer interferes with electrical conductivity and causes inconsistent, unreliable data from touch sensors.

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Advancing Dry Eye Research: How 3D Printing Is Transforming Ophthalmological Diagnostics

An interdisciplinary project at the University of South Florida (USF) is leveraging 3D printing to enhance ophthalmological research focused on dry eye disease. This collaboration between the Morsani College of Medicine and the USF IT 3D Print Lab centers on developing a specialized, curved test model to support a newly designed laser scanner. The goal is to improve measurement accuracy of the tear film thickness on the cornea, a key factor in understanding and diagnosing dry eye conditions.

A major obstacle in this type of imaging diagnostics is the complex, curved geometry of the human cornea. Traditional calibration tools, such as the flat 1951 USAF Resolution Test Chart, are inadequate for scanners intended to map curved surfaces. To overcome this, the USF 3D Print Lab team, led by Lucas Tometich, designed a model that closely replicates the natural curvature of the cornea.

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Smart Sorting: AI and X-Ray Technology Improve Safety in Waste Recycling

The improper disposal of electronic waste is becoming a growing issue, with many devices being discarded alongside regular plastic waste. This is particularly hazardous when these electronics contain lithium-ion batteries. If damaged during the recycling process, these batteries can ignite and cause fires in sorting plants.

In Germany, over 10,000 fires occur each year in waste sorting facilities, and approximately 80% of these incidents are linked to lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are commonly found in items such as smartphones, electric toothbrushes, and musical greeting cards. When thrown away with packaging waste, they can be crushed or punctured during sorting, leading to fires that cause an estimated one billion euros in damage annually.

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Sharpening the Sky: How UT4 and Laser Technology Revolutionize Ground-Based Astronomy

Set against the star-filled skies of Chile’s Atacama Desert, UT4—one of four 8-meter telescopes at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) array in Paranal—stands as a technological marvel. With its advanced adaptive optics system, UT4 delivers images so sharp they rival those captured from space.

At night, beams of light erupt from UT4’s dome, slicing through the darkness. These beams originate from the 4 Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF), which allows the telescope to create artificial stars high above the Earth. The lasers excite sodium atoms located about 90 kilometers up in the atmosphere, causing them to glow. These glowing spots act as reference points, or “guide stars,” allowing astronomers to measure how Earth’s atmosphere distorts incoming light.

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LEAP 71 Advances Rocket Propulsion with AI-Driven Engine Design

LEAP 71, a company focused on computer-aided engineering, is expanding its computational development platform to design rocket engines capable of generating thrust in the meganewton range. Building on successful trials of smaller engines, the company is now developing two new reference propulsion systems: the 200 kN XRA-2E5 aerospike engine and the 2000 kN XRB-2E6 bell-nozzle engine.

At the core of this initiative is “Noyron,” a generative development model that encodes engineering logic into software. This model automates the creation of manufacturable rocket engine designs, including complex turbomachinery components necessary for engine functionality.

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Aurora Rolls Into the Future: Launches Nation’s First Commercial Self-Driving Trucking Service

The future of freight transportation has officially arrived — and it no longer includes a driver behind the wheel. Aurora, a Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle startup, has launched the first-ever commercial self-driving trucking service on public roads in the United States.

The company’s autonomous trucks are now actively transporting goods between Dallas and Houston, Texas. This groundbreaking development marks a pivotal moment in transportation history, as Aurora becomes the first to commercially operate heavy-duty self-driving trucks over long distances. So far, the company has logged more than 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) in real-world traffic conditions.

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DEEP Robotics Launches the Lynx M20: A Rugged All-Terrain Robot for Extreme Environments

China’s DEEP Robotics has introduced the Lynx M20, a next-generation all-terrain robot built to handle the harshest industrial and environmental conditions. Purpose-designed for infrastructure inspection, disaster response, and scientific exploration, the M20 combines rugged durability with advanced mobility features.

Building on the success of its earlier wheeled quadruped model unveiled in November 2025, the M20 pushes the boundaries of robotics in challenging terrains. It can navigate rocky trails, muddy wetlands, shifting sands, and unstable debris fields with impressive stability and control. A demonstration video released by the company highlights the robot descending steep slopes, crossing narrow bridges, and even traversing shallow water—all without missing a beat.

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Advancing MSC-Based Therapies: Overcoming Manufacturing Barriers with the Cymerus Platform

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are emerging as a promising tool in cell therapy due to their strong immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, their capacity for tissue regeneration, and a favorable safety profile. Unlike other cell-based therapies, such as CAR T cells that may trigger severe immune responses like cytokine storms, wild-type MSCs have shown no such adverse reactions when administered to humans. However, the widespread clinical application of MSCs has been limited by challenges in producing therapeutically effective cells consistently and at scale. To date, only one MSC-based therapy has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A key obstacle in developing MSC therapies is the ongoing requirement for new tissue donations from various donors. This dependence leads to high variability and restricted batch sizes due to the limited expansion capacity of each donor-derived sample.

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One Capsule, Multiple Medications: A Breakthrough in Timed Drug Delivery

Managing complex medication schedules could soon be as easy as taking one pill a day, thanks to a breakthrough from engineers at the University of California San Diego. A newly developed capsule can be packed with multiple medications, each set to release at specific times throughout the day. This innovation, published in Matter, aims to simplify medication adherence, minimize the risk of missed doses, and reduce the chance of accidental overdoses.

The capsule is designed to streamline how patients manage chronic conditions that require multiple daily medications. Rather than juggling several pills with different dosing schedules, patients would take one capsule that handles everything automatically. This approach is especially promising for conditions like Parkinson’s disease or cardiovascular issues, where precise timing can be crucial for effectiveness.

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