Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
April 2019
From ACM News
The Images That Could Help Rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral
Before the tragedy seen all around the world, flames leaping from the top of Notre-Dame Cathedral, there was a smaller one, thousands of miles away in upstate New York.
From ACM News
A New Recruitment Tool for Construction: The Joystick
Plastic excavators, bulldozers and cranes fueled by imagination have long captivated toddlers. Now, the construction industry is trying to attract teenagers with realistic computer simulators of those same heavy machines, hoping…
From ACM News
Curiosity Tastes First Sample in 'Clay-Bearing nit'
Scientists working with NASA's Curiosity Mars rover have been excited to explore a region called "the clay-bearing unit" since before the spacecraft launched.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Heads Powered by AI to Help Passengers at Major German Airport
Frankfurt Airport in Germany is the site of a six-week trial of a robotic head powered by artificial intelligence as an information resource for travelers.
From ACM TechNews
MTA's Initial Foray Into Facial Recognition at High Speed Is a Bust
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority program to identify high-speed drivers at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge via facial-recognition technology is a failure.
From ACM TechNews
Photons Trained for Optical Fiber Obstacle Course Will Deliver Stronger Cyber Security
Researchers have demonstrated a technique that will help pairs of entangled photons smoothly navigate optical fibers, enabling stronger cybersecurity.
From ACM News
Wormhole Travel Could Be Real, but Would also Be Really Slow
The first Avengers flick hit its dramatic peak when an alien army descended upon New York via a wormhole in the sky.
From ACM News
Smart Phone Tricks
Researchers refine ways users can interact with a touchscreen.
From ACM TechNews
Who Comes to the Rescue of Stranded Robots? Humans
Robot manufacturers think it is vitally important to win over pedestrians and local officials as they try to expand the emerging technology into communities.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Model Automatically, Aesthetically Crops Photos
Researchers have developed a way to permit computers to automatically crop photos in an aesthetically satisfying manner.
From ACM TechNews
Google Turns Your Android Phone Into Security Key
Google says it has developed a Bluetooth-based authentication protocol that will enable smartphones to communicate with the Chrome Web browser.
From ACM TechNews
Amazon Workers Are Listening to What You Tell Alexa
Amazon employs thousands of people around the world to listen to voice recordings captured in Echo owners' homes and offices.
From ACM TechNews
3D Facial Analysis Could Help Identify Children with Rare Conditions
A new tool can identify subtle but important differences in facial geometry, allowing medical professionals to more quickly diagnose rare medical conditions in children.
From ACM TechNews
Serious Flaws Leave WPA3 Vulnerable to Hacks that Steal Wi-Fi Passwords
Security researchers has found several serious design flaws in the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA3) protocol.
From ACM News
Radical Programming School '42' Still Solving for the Skills Gap
The radical educational experiment is geared to solving the tech industry's chronic shortage of skilled programmers.
From ACM News
Hello World: Shining a Light onto the Culture of Computer Programmers
A chat with tech journalist Clive Thompson about his new book, Coders.
From ACM News
A Revolutionary Imaging Technique ses a Single Pixel to Fill Our Terahertz Blind Spot
At almost every wavelength, engineers have electromagnetic antennae that can detect and record the waves and create exotic images of the world at radio, microwave, infrared, visible, and x-ray frequencies.
From ACM Opinion
Black Hole Hunters: Q&A With Katie Bouman
Scientists have revealed the first-ever image of a black hole. The picture is the result of a global collaboration in which scientists linked together telescopes virtually to create one, huge, Earth-sized telescope.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Develop Method to Improve 3D-Printed Prosthetics by Integrating Electronic Sensors
Researchers have integrated electronic sensors with personalized three-dimensionally-printed prosthetics, which could make electric-powered prosthetics more affordable.
From ACM TechNews
Walmart Rolling Out the Robots
Walmart is expanding its deployments of robots in its stores to help track inventory, clean floors, and unload trucks.
From ACM TechNews
Google's Drone Delivery Business Wins Approval in Canberra
Project Wing, a branch of Google parent Alphabet, has received approval from Australia's aviation regulator to deploy its drone delivery service for the city of Canberra.
From ACM TechNews
Self-Driving Car Learns to Navigate Narrow European Streets Like a Human Driver
U.K. startup Wayve said it has created an autonomous vehicle that can learn to drive the way a human does, through trial and error, using cameras and satellite navigation.
From ACM TechNews
Program Promotes Women in Expanding Robotics Fields
Girls of Steel is a K-12 program designed to promote science, technology, engineering, and math subjects to girls through mentoring and robotics competition.
From ACM News
How China's Huawei Took the Lead Over .S. Companies in 5G Technology
As U.S. officials have pressured allies not to use networking gear from Chinese technology giant Huawei over spying concerns, President Trump has urged American companies to "step up" and compete to provide the next generation…
From ACM TechNews
Drone Racing Fans Have Some Questions: Where's the Drone? Who's Winning?
With drone racing becoming more popular, spectators and commentators need better ways of seeing which drones are ahead and which are falling behind.
From ACM TechNews
Machine Learning Is Making Pesto Even More Delicious
Researchers have used machine learning to create basil plants that are extra-tasty.
From ACM TechNews
Alphabet, Apple Take Divergent Paths in Health
Alphabet and Apple are following different strategies to transform healthcare.
From ACM TechNews
These Are the Best Companies to Work for in China in 2019, According to LinkedIn
A study by LinkedIn found 15 of China's top 25 companies to work for this year are technology firms, including embattled telecommunications provider Huawei.
From ACM News
A Healthy Dose of Wearables
Smart watches and other wearables are evolving into medical devices that will drive significant changes in healthcare.
From ACM News
Mars Methane Hunt Comes p Empty, Flummoxing Scientists
A spacecraft that was supposed to solve the mystery of methane on Mars has instead compounded scientists' confusion.