HackersCAD is an OpenCascade-based CAD tool where parts are written as code and an AI agent can build them over MCP, with STEP, STL and 3MF export. STEP export is what makes this usable by a real shop, not just hobbyists. Small and new; pair with build123d-mcp if you use it.
For mechanical engineers and fabricators:
Casey Crownhart explains how solid-state transformers combine magnetics with power semiconductors to step voltage with more control in a smaller package than century-old iron-core designs. They are still in development and cannot yet replace the largest transmission units. Transformer lead times are a top grid constraint, so any credible alternative matters to utilities and data center planners.
ANYbotics says ANYmal X, a legged inspection robot built to meet the ATEX and IECEx explosion-protection standards, is now shipping to oil, gas and chemical companies including Equinor and DSM-Firmenich. BP, Equinor, Shell, PETRONAS, Petrobras, BASF and SLB have tested it since 2023 through an early access program, and it carries thermal, visual, acoustic and gas sensors that log readings to each asset. Robot rounds in hazardous zones are moving from pilots to deliveries.
Xplore AI's new RWE-bench tested 11 AI models on 20 engineering tasks, including crankshaft design, DDR3 board routing and turbine vane CFD, each graded by a deterministic verifier with no human or AI judge. The top model, GPT-6 Astra, averaged a 37% pass rate. The hard design work is still mostly done by people.
