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subjectComputer Applications
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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


Software Update for World's Wind Farms Could Power Millions More Homes
From ACM TechNews

Software Update for World's Wind Farms Could Power Millions More Homes

A software upgrade developed by researchers at France's Polytechnic Institute of Paris improves the efficiency of wind turbines by ensuring they spend more time...

Centipede Robots with More Legs Better at Walking Over Bumps
From ACM TechNews

Centipede Robots with More Legs Better at Walking Over Bumps

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that multi-legged robots with more legs were better at navigating rough terrain than those with fewer legs...

Smart Glasses Dim Bright Objects
From ACM TechNews

Smart Glasses Dim Bright Objects

Camera- and liquid-crystal display-equipped smart glasses can "balance" a scene by dimming bright objects without affecting dim ones.

Shapes 3D-Printed into Living Worms Could Be Future of Brain Implants
From ACM TechNews

Shapes 3D-Printed into Living Worms Could Be Future of Brain Implants

A technique developed by researchers at the U.K.'s Lancaster University can print conductive circuits inside living organisms using a photonic three-dimensional...

Venus Flytrap Cyborg Snaps Shut with Smartphone Commands
From ACM TechNews

Venus Flytrap Cyborg Snaps Shut with Smartphone Commands

Wenlong Li and colleagues at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have transformed Venus flytraps into biological robots.

Quantum Computers May Finally Have Practical Use
From ACM TechNews

Quantum Computers May Finally Have Practical Use

Researchers have developed a method for certifying that quantum computers generate truly random numbers without having to inspect the process.

Flying Robot Echolocates Like a Bat to Avoid Hitting Walls
From ACM TechNews

Flying Robot Echolocates Like a Bat to Avoid Hitting Walls

Frederike Dümbgen and colleagues have equipped a flying robot to use bat-like echolocation to map its surroundings using a simple microphone and speaker.

Noisy Flashing Drone Could Stop Bats Crashing into Wind Turbines
From ACM TechNews

Noisy Flashing Drone Could Stop Bats Crashing into Wind Turbines

Yuval Werber and colleagues at Israel's University of Haifa invented a drone that makes noise and flashes lights to prevent bats from colliding with turbine blades...

Online Advertising Estimated to Use as Much Energy as a Small Country
From ACM TechNews

Online Advertising Estimated to Use as Much Energy as a Small Country

Researchers have developed a system that can calculate energy consumption related to online advertising.

Quantum Computers Vulnerable to Eavesdropping Hackers
From ACM TechNews

Quantum Computers Vulnerable to Eavesdropping Hackers

Allen Mi and colleagues at Yale University warn that even carefully wiping quantum computers of data would not thwart its theft by hackers.

AI-Designed Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Small Communication Devices
From ACM TechNews

AI-Designed Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Small Communication Devices

Researchers used artificial intelligence to design an invisibility cloak to conceal antennas or small communication devices from infrared light or microwave detectors...

Unpiloted Military Helicopter Flies 134 km in Simulated Mission
From ACM TechNews

Unpiloted Military Helicopter Flies 134 km in Simulated Mission

The U.S. Army flew an autonomous Black Hawk Helicopter 134 kilometers (83 miles) to deliver 230 kilograms (507 lbs.) of simulated and real blood.

Too Many Electric Cars Charging at Night May Overload Electrical Grid
From ACM TechNews

Too Many Electric Cars Charging at Night May Overload Electrical Grid

Computer modeling determined the western U.S. power grid could be strained if electric vehicle owners primarily charging their vehicles at home overnight.

Face Recognition for Pigs Could Improve Welfare on Farms
From ACM TechNews

Face Recognition for Pigs Could Improve Welfare on Farms

Wenhao Zhang and colleagues at the U.K.'s University of the West of England have developed a facial recognition system for pigs.

Sensory Trick Makes Objects Seem Heavy or Light in VR
From ACM TechNews

Sensory Trick Makes Objects Seem Heavy or Light in VR

Vibrating pads on people's arms can support a more convincing illusion of weight in virtual reality by fooling the brain into ignoring certain sensory input.

Apps Used as Alternatives to Prison in U.S. Have Privacy Flaws
From ACM TechNews

Apps Used as Alternatives to Prison in U.S. Have Privacy Flaws

Researchers found privacy flaws in apps used in the U.S. to track people waiting for immigration court dates, those in juvenile detention systems, and those on...

DeepMind AI Learns to Play Soccer Using Decades of Match Simulations
From ACM TechNews

DeepMind AI Learns to Play Soccer Using Decades of Match Simulations

Researchers trained an artificial intellgence to play soccer using an athletic curriculum resembling an accelerated model of a human baby maturing into a soccer...

Earthquakes Seem to Come in a More Predictable Pattern Than We Thought
From ACM TechNews

Earthquakes Seem to Come in a More Predictable Pattern Than We Thought

A machine learning model developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis can analyze decades of earthquake data to predict future earthquakes.

Your Smartphone Could Recognize You by How You Hold It
From ACM TechNews

Your Smartphone Could Recognize You by How You Hold It

Researchers trained an artificial intelligence-powered algorithm to identify individuals based their hand vibrations when holding a smartphone.

Quantum Computers Might Not Offer Extreme Speed Boost for Chemistry
From ACM TechNews

Quantum Computers Might Not Offer Extreme Speed Boost for Chemistry

New research suggests the required computing power could diminish quantum computing's exponential speed advantage.
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