Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
August 2018
From ACM News
The Serious Security Problem Looming Over Robotics
They call it Herb2. It's a dapper robot, wearing a bowtie even while it sits at home in its lab at the University of Washington.
From ACM TechNews
Flint Water Crisis: How AI Is Finding Thousands of Hazardous Pipes
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can determine the location of dangerous lead pipes in Flint, MI.
From ACM TechNews
Blurring the Lines Between Virtual and Reality
A next-generation virtual reality headset enables wearers to manipulate both real and virtual objects with tactile sensation.
From ACM TechNews
A Great Find
A new algorithm locates objects by leveraging collections of sensors that receive and transmit signals.
From ACM TechNews
Chicago-Area Schools Look to Shrink the Gender Gap in STEM Classes
Chicago-area educators are striving to close the gender gap among students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes.
From ACM TechNews
Picture This: A Camera With No Lens
A new camera substitutes a regular pane of glass for the lens, in conjunction with a computer running an algorithm to interpret the images.
From ACM TechNews
Enhanced 'Listening Skill' Makes Robot Better at Talking
Researchers have improved the ability of a conversational human-like robot to have a natural dialogue with people by enhancing its listening skills.
From ACM News
The Desperate Quest for Genomic Compression Algorithms
Have you had your genome sequenced yet? Millions of people around the world already have, and by 2025 that number could reach a billion.
From ACM News
Asteroid Ryugu Poses Landing Risks for Japanese Mission
After inspecting asteroid Ryugu for two months, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has revealed the sites where the Hayabusa2 spacecraft will touchdown to collect a sample to bring back to Earth—and also where it will…
From ACM TechNews
A New Artificial Neural Network Framework for Gait-Based Biometrics
Researchers have developed an approach for securing the wireless communications of wearable and implantable medical devices.
From ACM TechNews
Fake News Detector Algorithm Works Better Than a Human
An algorithm-based system that identifies linguistic cues in fake news stories could provide news aggregators and social media sites with a new weapon against misinformation.
From ACM TechNews
Helping the Microchip Industry Go (Very Low) With the Flow
Researchers have rooted out the cause of error in an industry-standard calibration method that could add up to massive losses for microchip manufacturers.
From ACM TechNews
Kids Connect With Robot Reading Partners
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have developed a robot to serve as a reading partner for middle school students.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Bugs, Meet Your New Swatter
Rice University researchers have developed a diagnostic tool for quantum computers.
From ACM News
A Monitor's ltrasonic Sounds Can Reveal What's on the Screen
You probably assume that someone can only see what's on your computer screen by looking at it.
From ACM News
A Toolkit for Data Transparency Takes Shape
Julia Stewart Lowndes studied metre-long Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), tagging them to track their dives, as a graduate student at Stanford University in California in 2011.
From ACM TechNews
A 'GPS for Inside Your Body'
A new "in-body global-positioning system" can locate ingestible implants within the body using low-power wireless signals.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Reveal New Online ser Tracking Techniques
Researchers have identified online user tracking techniques that cannot be blocked by browsers' built-in anti-tracking defenses or existing anti-tracking and ad-blocking extensions.
From ACM TechNews
Microsoft's Glasses Monitor Blood Pressure
Smart glasses developed by Microsoft Research's Glabella Project can measure blood pressure noninvasively.
From ACM TechNews
Stanford Engineers Create New AI Camera for Faster, More Efficient Image Classification
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence camera system that classifies images faster and more efficiently.
From ACM News
Bounties Mount for Bugs
Maturing bug bounty programs spot data abuse, secure the Internet of Things.
From ACM News
Wireless Communication Breaks Through Water-Air Barrier
MIT researchers have taken a step toward solving a longstanding challenge with wireless communication: direct data transmission between underwater and airborne devices.
From ACM News
15 Years in Space for NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
Initially scheduled for a minimum 2.5-year primary mission, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has gone far beyond its expected lifetime—and is still going strong after 15 years.
From ACM TechNews
Colorado Prepares to Install 'Smart Road' Product by Integrated Roadways
A startup plans to install four slabs of concrete with embedded sensors at an intersection in Denver, CO.
From ACM TechNews
How Paper Batteries Charged by Bacteria Could Power Internet of Things
A paper-based single-use battery harnesses bacteria to generate an electric current, and then to consume the battery after its use.
From ACM TechNews
of T Experts se Deep Learning AI for Predictive Animation
Researchers used deep learning algorithms to improve software for the animation and gaming industry.
From ACM TechNews
Botnet of Smart Air Conditioners and Water Heaters Could Bring Down the Power Grid
A new class of cyberattack can hijack smart appliances online and enlist them in a botnet to orchestrate power outages.
From ACM TechNews
Knuth Prize Awarded for Contributions to Computational Complexity
Swedish researcher Johan Torkel Hastad has been named recipient of the 2018 Donald E. Knuth Prize for his contributions to computational complexity theory.
From ACM TechNews
Future Robot Swarms Should Copy Lazy Ants Who Let Others Do the Work
Researchers found insights into ant cooperation could be incorporated into the development of large swarms of robots.
From ACM News
'Weaponized Ad Technology': Facebook's Moneymaker Gets a Critical Eye
Facebook has made a mint by enabling advertisers to identify and reach the very people most likely to react to their messages.