Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2021
From ACM News
Intel Wants to Revive U.S. Chipmaking—but It Has to Catch Up First
The semiconductor giant announced plans to open its factories to others, but it will send some of its most advanced designs to be made in Taiwan.
From ACM TechNews
Underwater Swimming Robot Responds with Feedback From Soft Lateral Line
Scientists have engineered a predictive model and closed-loop controller for a soft swimming robot.
From ACM TechNews
Fears of 'Digital Dictatorship' as Myanmar Deploys AI
Human rights groups are worried about a potential "digital dictatorship" in Myanmar due to the use of artificial intelligence to monitor citizens' movements.
From ACM TechNews
Safety Concerns Determine Level of Public Support for Driverless Vehicles, Finds NTU Singapore Study
Researchers in Singapore found that support for autonomous vehicle adoption generally is based on perceptions of safety issues.
From ACM TechNews
Molecular Simulations Uncover How Kinase Mutations Lead to Cancer Progression
New molecular models can help researchers understand kinase mutations' mechanism of cancerous progression.
From ACM News
Higher Education Readies for a Quantum Leap
The nascent quantum industry is calling on higher education to begin preparing a quantum workforce with a broader, less specialized range of technical skills.
From ACM News
Matrix Multiplication Inches Closer to Mythic Goal
A recent paper set the fastest record for multiplying two matrices. But it also marks the end of the line for a method researchers have relied on for decades to make improvements.
From ACM TechNews
Vaccination Megasites Lean on Enterprise Tech to Keep the Line Moving
Popup Covid-19 vaccination megasites are using digital enterprise technology to accommodate surging numbers of inoculations as more Americans qualify to be immunized.
From ACM TechNews
Ultrasound Reads Monkey Brains, Opening Path to Controlling Machines with Thought
Researchers have developed a method of predicting a monkey's intended eye or hand movements using ultrasound imaging.
From ACM TechNews
Newly-Wormable Windows Botnet Ballooning in Size
Researchers say a botnet targeting Windows devices is expanding, due to a new infection method that lets malware spread between computers with weak passwords.
From ACM TechNews
Mussel Sensors Pave the Way for Environmental Monitoring Tools
Researchers are using a new sensor system to remotely monitor freshwater mussels, as a means of detect harmful toxins in the waters in which they live.
From ACM TechNews
Control System Helps Several Drones Team Up to Deliver Heavy Packages
A new adaptive control algorithm helps unmanned aerial vehicles collaborate to deliver heavy parcels.
From ACM TechNews
Identifying Banknote Fingerprints Can Stop Counterfeits on Streets
Researchers said a technique called Polymer Substrate Fingerprinting could be used to identify the unique, unclonable “fingerprints” of Bank of England banknotes.
From ACM News
New Software Vendor Standards Coming Within Weeks, CISA Head Says
The White House is leading an interagency effort focused on software development that will determine federal procurement of information technology.
From ACM News
What a Gambling App Knows About You
Sky Bet, the most popular gambling app in Britain, compiled extensive records about a user, tracking him in ways he never imagined.
From ACM News
You Probably Don’t Remember the Internet
How do we memorialize life online when it's constantly disappearing?
From ACM News
Ransomwared Bank Tells Customers It Lost Their SSNs
A data breach that already hit bank employees just got much worse.
From ACM News
William Shatner Turns 90, AI Version of Him will Live On Indefinitely
Shatner partners with StoryFile to create an interactive version of himself that answers fan questions and talks back to them.
From ACM TechNews
This Powerful Supercomputer Was Built in Just 20 Weeks, With a Bit of Help From a Tiny Robot
The Cambridge-1 supercomputer has entered its first stages of operation just 20 weeks after it was first announced.
From ACM TechNews
AI Helps Assess Pain Levels in People With Sickle Cell Disease
Northwestern University researchers used artificial intelligence to assess pain levels in patients with sickle cell disease, based on their vital signs.
From ACM News
The Cybersecurity 202: DHS Official Promises Help for States Struggling with Digital Attacks on Critical Services
Even as federal officials and Microsoft race to contain a recebt breach, stakeholders need to make certain they are no longer compromised, to prevent follow-up attacks.
From ACM News
Microsoft to Ease Workers Back to the Office Starting Next Week
It plans to remove restrictions only once the virus acts "more like an endemic virus such as the seasonal flu," an executive wrote.
From ACM TechNews
System Detects Errors When Medication is Self-Administered
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have developed a system to detect and reduce errors when patients administer their own medication.
From ACM TechNews
Engineers Combine AI, Wearable Cameras in Self-Walking Robotic Exoskeletons
Researchers combined computer vision and deep-learning artificial intelligence technology in an effort to develop robotic exoskeleton legs that can make decisions.
From ACM TechNews
Technology Will Create Millions of Jobs. The Problem Will Be to Find Workers to Fill Them
A new economic analysis indicates that new technologies will create tens of millions of jobs by 2030, but are unlikely to offset job losses from automation.
From ACM TechNews
Novel Deep Learning Framework for Symbolic Regression
Computer scientists have created a new framework and visualization tool that applies deep reinforcement learning to symbolic regression problems.
From ACM TechNews
Lip-Reading Software Helps Users of All Abilities to Send Secure Messages
New lip-reading software can learn from its users continuously.
From ACM News
AI Could Enable 'Swarm Warfare' for Tomorrow's Fighter Jets
A Pentagon project is testing scenarios involving multiple aircraft that could change the dynamics of air combat.
From ACM News
Learning Apps Have Boomed in the Pandemic. Now Comes the Real Test.
Start-ups hope there's no turning back for online learning, even as more students return to the classroom.
From ACM TechNews
Argument Technology for Debating with Humans
Project Debater is an IBM-developed artificial intelligence system that can engage with humans in debates.