Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
October 2019
From ACM TechNews
App Helps You Learn About China, While China Learns All About You
Researchers in Germany and Australia found China is using a widely downloaded mobile app and translation service to siphon billions of pieces of information on users.
From ACM TechNews
Astrobee Performs First Autonomous Flight on the International Space Station
A National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astrobee robot is now up and running on the International Space Station (ISS).
From ACM News
Snaking Its Way into Your Heart
Artfiicial intelligence's new take on heart surgery.
From ACM TechNews
The Deep Learning Way to Design Fly-Like Robots
Researchers have developed motion-capture software that uses deep learning to model a fruit fly's movements in three dimensions, in the hope of designing fly-like robots.
From ACM TechNews
AI-Based Firefighter Safety Startup Wins IBM Call for Code Challenge
IBM named the winners of this year's Call for Code Global Challenge.
From ACM TechNews
Autonomous Shuttles in Northern Virginia Suburb Show Why Future of Robot Cars Might Be Slow
Two companies have partnered on an autonomous shuttle service to transport commuters between a Metro station and locations in Reston, VA.
From ACM TechNews
Does Your Toothbrush Have an App Yet?
New technologies are being introduced to the world of dental care.
From ACM TechNews
Summit Simulates How Humans Will 'Brake' During Mars Landing
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration researchers are using the Summit supercomputer to model retropropulsion (using rocket engines to decelerate) for landing manned spacecraft on Mars.
From ACM TechNews
Russia's Pizza King Wants to Use the Cloud to Take Over the World
Russian pizza magnate Fyodor Ovchinnikov plans to open 1,000 Dodo Pizza outlets in Europe, Asia, and Africa in the next five years, using a combination of application software and analytics in the cloud.
From ACM News
If a Robotic Hand Solves a Rubik’s Cube, Does It Prove Something?
A five-fingered feat could show important progress in Artificial Intelligence research. It is also a stunt.
From ACM News
Artificial Intelligence: What’s to Fear?
What should worry us most about artificial intelligence: losing our jobs to cheaper labor or losing our lives to killer robots? The real threat may lie in yet another danger: losing our minds.
From ACM News
How the U.S. Census Kickstarted America’s Computing Industry
As the country grew, each census required greater effort than the last, not merely to collect the data but also to compile it into usable form.
From ACM TechNews
Europe's Old Universities Spin Out New Tech Companies
Across Europe, some of the world's oldest universities are intensifying efforts to get promising technologies out of their labs and into commercial use.
From ACM TechNews
NTU Singapore Start-Up Unveils Robot with Human-Like Dexterous Grip
Researchers have developed a robot that can pick up delicate optical lenses and mirrors with the care and precision of human hands.
From ACM TechNews
Canberra Gives AU$32m for Autonomous Decision-Making Research
The Australian government is allocating AU$31.8 million (about US$21.5 million) to the Australian Research Council to study responsible, ethical, and inclusive autonomous decision-making technologies.
From ACM News
Lost in Translation?
Machine language translation is advancing rapidly, but can it reach the level of human understanding?
From ACM News
Celebrating 50 Years of Unix
Since its introduction 50 years ago, Unix has been copied or imitated countless times.
From ACM TechNews
Biologically Inspired Artificial Skin Improves Sensory Ability of Robots
Researchers designed a system integrating artificial skin with control algorithms, which they used to create the first autonomous humanoid robot with full-body synthetic skin.
From ACM TechNews
Cybersecurity Giants to Combat Cyberthreats Under OASIS Umbrella
IBM, McAfee, and 16 more firms have launched an effort to address fragmentation and interoperability problems in cybersecurity.
From ACM TechNews
Engineers Solve 50-Year-Old Puzzle in Signal Processing
Iowa State University researchers have solved the mystery of the inverse fast Fourier transform algorithm.
From ACM TechNews
Caltech's Latest Creation: A Hovering, Bird-Like Robot That Could Someday Explore Mars
California Institute of Technology researchers have developed a robot drone that can traverse rough terrain.
From ACM TechNews
Gymnastics' Latest Twist? AI Judges That See Everything
The gymnastics world championships in Germany used an artificial intelligence system to evaluate athletes' performance.
From ACM News
Why Deep Learning AIs Are So Easy to Fool
Artificial intelligence researchers are trying to fix the flaws of neural networks.
From ACM TechNews
3D Printing Technique Accelerates Nanoscale Fabrication a Thousandfold
Scientists have developed a nanoscale three-dimensional printing methodology that maintains resolution and is 1,000 times faster than conventional two-photon lithography.
From ACM TechNews
Microsoft Says Iran Tried Hack of U.S. Presidential Campaign
Microsoft says a hacker group connected to the Iranian government has tried to compromise email accounts of a U.S. presidential campaign, current and former U.S. officials, and journalists.
From ACM TechNews
SMART Announces Successful Way to Commercially Manufacture Novel Integrated Silicon III-V Chips
Researchers have developed a commercially viable method of creating new silicon III-V chips, a breakthrough that could lead to intelligent optoelectronic and 5G devices.
From ACM TechNews
Vietnam Developer, Sumitomo Join to Build $4B Smart City
Vietnamese developer BRG Group and Japanese trading company Sumitomo have announced a $4.21-billion smart-city development on the outskirts of Hanoi to begin next year.
From ACM News
Biggest Brands Embrace an Obscure Online Subculture
For years, the "Extremely Online" have shared the latest Internet memes and inside jokes. Now companies are doing the same.
From ACM News
AAA Warns Pedestrian Detection Systems Don't Work When Needed Most
Study finds safety systems fail at night, when the majority of pedestrian vehicle fatalities occur.
From ACM TechNews
Encryption System Protects Data from Quantum Computers
IBM researchers have demonstrated a quantum-proof encryption method called CRYSTALS that can successfully encrypt a magnetic-tap storage device.