Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
April 2021
From ACM TechNews
Modeling Shows Pandemic Eviction Bans Protect Entire Communities From Covid-19 Spread
Researchers used computer modeling to determine that eviction bans during the COVID-19 pandemic lowered infection rates, shielding entire communities from the virus.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Banks Deploy AI to Monitor Customers, Workers Amid Tech Backlash
Several U.S. banks are rolling out artificial intelligence systems to analyze customer preferences, monitor employees, and detect suspicious activity near ATMs.
From ACM TechNews
Brain-on-a-Chip Would Need Little Training
Researchers used a spiking neural network on a microchip as a foundation for developing more efficient hardware-based artificial intelligence systems.
From ACM TechNews
A Hacker's Nightmare: Programmable Chips Secured by Chaos
Ohio State University scientists demonstrated a method of using physically unclonable functions to thwart hackers.
From ACM TechNews
Facial Recognition, Other 'Risky' AI Set for Constraints in EU
The European Commission has proposed new rules constraining the use of facial recognition and other artificial intelligence applications.
From ACM News
A Driverless Tesla Crashed and Burned for 4 Hours, Killing 2 Passengers in Texas
Two men died after a Tesla vehicle, which authorities said was operating without a driver, crashed into a tree in a Houston suburb on April 17.
From ACM News
A 'Worst Nightmare' Cyberattack: The Untold Story Of The SolarWinds Hack
An NPR investigation into the SolarWinds attack reveals a hack unlike any other,
From ACM TechNews
Disney, Ad-Tech Firms Agree to Privacy Changes for Children's Apps
Disney, Viacom, and 10 advertising technology firms will remove or disable tracking software from popular children's gaming apps.
From ACM TechNews
How AI Can Make Weather Forecasting Less Cloudy
Scientists are applying artificial intelligence to weather and climate forecasting to boost accuracy and efficiency.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Develop Method for Putting Quantum Correlations to the Test
New research involving has yielded a new method for testing the quality of quantum correlations.
From ACM News
Reimagining Contact
Covid-19, which challenges how we interact with one another, is accelerating the development of touchless technologies.
From ACM News
Amazon Building Computer Vision Tech to Check Defects in Fruits, Vegetables
The e-commerce giant's technology can carry out millions of assessments to grade the quality of fruits and vegetables at a cost far below any other method.
From ACM TechNews
NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Makes Historic First Flight on Mars
The Ingenuity helicopter has become the first aircraft to achieve powered flight on Mars.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Elephant Trunk Can Learn Tasks on Its Own
Researchers used three-dimensional printing to create a robotic elephant trunk that uses artificial intelligence to emulate how sensory input triggers synaptic reactions in organic brains.
From ACM TechNews
Novel Use of 3D Geoinformation to Identify Urban Farming Sites
A study looked at whether three-dimensional city models and urban digital twins could help identify high-rise buildings suitable for urban farming based on sunlight availability.
From ACM TechNews
Combining News Media, AI to Rapidly Identify Flooded Buildings
A machine learning model can help identify flooded buildings within 24 hours of a disaster using news media photos.
From ACM TechNews
Finally, 3D-Printed Graphene Aerogels for Water Treatment
University at Buffalo and University of Pittsburgh engineers three-dimensionally-printed graphene aerogels for water treatment, after addressing scalability and stability issues.
From ACM TechNews
AWS Reveals Method to Build More Accurate Quantum Computer
Amazon's cloud subsidiary has unveiled a new architecture for a fault-tolerant quantum computer.
From ACM TechNews
Domino's Launches Pizza Delivery Robot Car
Pizza chain Domino's has launched a robot car pizza delivery service to select customers in Houston's Woodland Heights neighborhood.
From ACM News
FTP is 50 Years Old
The 16th of April 1971 is not only the date when the Rolling Stone first released Brown Sugar, it is also marked with the publication of RFC 114 marking the birthday of FTP.
From ACM News
First Multi-Node Quantum Network Paves the Way for the Quantum Internet
Researchers in the Netherlands have established an entanglement-based network between three quantum processors for the first time.
From ACM News
For 50 Years, Tech Companies Have Tried to Increase Diversity by Fixing People Instead of the System
Programs to enhance diversity at major technology companies lacked an understanding of what comprehensive economic and social justice looked like.
From ACM TechNews
ACM Prize Awarded to Pioneer in Quantum Computing
ACM has named Scott Aaronson the recipient of the 2020 ACM Prize in Computing for his pioneering contributions to quantum computing.
From ACM TechNews
Amazon Expanding 'Upskill' Training for Software Developer Roles to Workers Outside Company
Amazon is expanding its Amazon Technical Academy to train people outside the company for jobs in software engineering.
From ACM TechNews
Researcher Uses Bat-Inspired Design to Develop Approach to Sound Location
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's Rolf Mueller and colleagues have developed a new technique for identifying the point of origin of a sound.
From ACM TechNews
3D-Printed Material to Replace Ivory
Researchers have engineered a substitute for ivory in three-dimensional printing.
From ACM TechNews
Pandemic is Pushing Robots into Retail at Unprecedented Pace
The results of a recent survey indicate the Covid-19 pandemic has ramped up development and adoption of automation.
From ACM News
Geoffrey Hinton Has a Hunch about What's Next for AI
A decade ago, the artificial-intelligence pioneer transformed the field with a major breakthrough. Now he's working on a new imaginary system named GLOM.
From ACM News
N.Y.P.D.'s Robot Dog Returns to Work, Touching Off a Backlash
Deployed at a public housing building, the device drew condemnation as a stark example of police power and misplaced priorities.
From ACM News
Automating the Farm
Seeking increased yields with precision agriculture technology.