Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
December 2019
From ACM TechNews
New Data Addresses Gap in Fusion Research
Researchers have developed a method of enhancing the accuracy of computer models used in simulations of laser-driven implosions.
From ACM TechNews
Amazon Rolls Out Quantum-Computing Service
Amazon Web Services has launched a platform that lets enterprise customers explore how they could benefit from quantum computers by developing and testing quantum algorithms in simulations.
From ACM TechNews
Software Aims To Make Science More Replicable
A new open-source program combines the functions of a word processor with other things one might need when writing scientific research papers.
From ACM News
Do We Need A Theory of AI?
What would a theory of artificial intelligence look like, and how might it be achieved?
From ACM TechNews
Emotion-Sensing Robot Launches to Assist Space Station Astronauts
A robot with emotion-sensing voice detectors has been launched to the International Space Station.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Uncover Russian-Style Information Operation Ahead of U.K. Elections
Graphika, a cyber-intelligence firm, discovered a campaign on Reddit and Twitter to disseminate leaked trade documents ahead of elections in the U.K.
From ACM TechNews
Hand-Tracking Tech Watches Riders in Self-Driving Cars to See If They're Ready to Take the Wheel
Researchers have developed a hand-tracking system to determine how long it would take a driver to assume control of a self-driving car in an emergency.
From ACM TechNews
A World With a Billion Cameras Watching You Is Just Around the Corner
Industry researcher IHS Markit expects the number of cameras used for surveillance worldwide to rise above 1 billion by the end of 2021.
From ACM TechNews
A Few Cities Have Cornered Innovation Jobs. Can That Be Changed?
A report found that 13 innovation industries were mainly sited in a handful of urban areas in the U.S.
From ACM TechNews
3D Printing Offers Hope of Building Human Organs From Scratch
Scientists in Israel used three-dimensional (3D) printing to create perfusable cardiac tissue that was able to beat.
From ACM News
Why The Rise of the App Has Put Thousands of People in the Hospital
People are being distracted by apps on their phones, and getting injured as a result.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Aims to Predict Problems on Power Lines Before Disaster
A new diagnostic tool designed to detect power line problems is being used by utilities to address those problems before they become disasters.
From ACM TechNews
Can We Identify Invasive Species Before They Invade?
Researchers have developed models for predicting patterns of damage by invasive insects that attack North American trees.
From ACM TechNews
Water Animation Gets Easier, Thanks to BYU Professors
A new technique permits the rapid resizing of fluid animations without the need to remodel entire animation sequences.
From ACM TechNews
Cellphone Detection Cameras Rolled Out in Australia
Australia's state of New South Wales has started using high-definition detection cameras to identify drivers illegally using cellphones while driving.
From ACM News
50 Years Later, We Still Don't Grasp the Mother of All Demos
Doug Engelbart didn't just want to show off new technology. He wanted to demonstrate a system for improving humanity.
From ACM TechNews
3D Scanner Could Increase Accuracy of Surgery
Researchers have invented a scanner to capture full-field three-dimensional surface-shape data in real time by facilitating three-dimensional capabilities at each camera pixel.
From ACM TechNews
Producing Glass with a 3D Printer
Researchers employed three-dimensional printing to manufacture complex and porous glass objects using an ultraviolet-light-cured resin.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Spot Undersea Fault Using Fiber-Optic Cables
Scientists discovered a new underwater fault five miles off Monterey Bay, CA, through the use of infrared laser pulses fired along an idle fiber-optic cable.
From ACM TechNews
Electro-Optical Device Provides Solution to Faster, More Energy-Efficient Computing Memories, Processors
Researchers have developed a nanoscale device that is programmable with either photons or electrons.
From ACM News
Can You Hear Me Now?
Columbia University researchers achieve a meeting of minds on Artificial Intelligence-assisted hearing technology.
From ACM TechNews
Carpentry Compiler Helps Woodworkers Design Objects They Can Actually Make
Researchers developed a digital tool that generates fabrication instructions and solves problems with techniques from programming languages when users design woodworking projects.
From ACM TechNews
Most Brazilians Believe Companies Don't Protect Their Personal Data
Among the findings of a Harris Poll survey of 11,000 consumers in 11 countries was that nearly all Brazilians feel companies are not adequately protecting their personal data.
From ACM TechNews
New Streaming Technology Will Change Computer Gaming
Researchers have developed a streaming technology that will allow a VR headsets to display computer games in extremely high quality.
From ACM TechNews
Toward More Efficient Computing, With Magnetic Waves
A new circuit design enables computing using magnetic waves, rather than electricity.
From ACM TechNews
That Smart TV You Just Bought May Be Spying on You, FBI Warns
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning consumers that televisions that offer Internet streaming and facial recognition capabilities may be vulnerable to intrusion.
From ACM TechNews
Soft Skin-Like Robots You Can Put in Your Pocket
Researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K. have developed stretchable skin-like robots that can be rolled up and fit in a pocket.
From ACM TechNews
Attackers Using WhatsApp MP4 Video Files Vulnerability Can Remotely Execute Code
Facebook has reported a vulnerability in WhatsApp messaging software that allows malefactors to conduct denial-of-service or remote code execution attacks.
From ACM TechNews
AI Moves Into Healthcare
Artificial intelligence's diffusion into medicine is at a nascent stage, but researchers expect further proliferation.
From ACM News
Bug Bounties: Big Business
Companies are learning that bug bounty programs are just one aspect of good security protocols.