Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2018
From ACM News
The S Push to Boost 'Quantum Computing'
A race by U.S. tech companies to build a new generation of powerful "quantum computers" could get a $1.3 billion boost from Congress, fueled in part by lawmakers' fear of growing competition from China.
From ACM News
Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time
Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft has revealed what appear to be giant dust storms in equatorial regions of Saturn's moon Titan.
From ACM TechNews
Capitalizing on Sleep-Wake Cycle Can Drastically Increase Digital Ad Profits From Social Media, Study Shows
A new study has found that digital content platforms can increase their traffic from social media by aligning their posting schedules with target audiences' sleep-wake cycles.
From ACM TechNews
Over 2,000 European AI Experts Join Hands to Challenge .S., China in Artificial Intelligence
About 2,100 artificial intelligence researchers from 29 European countries have announced a joint research alliance.
From ACM TechNews
Meet the Winner of Robotics' World Cup
A two-legged robot developed at the University of Bonn in Germany won the soccer World Cup for adult-size robots this summer in Montreal, Canada.
From ACM TechNews
Machine Learning System Tackles Speech and Object Recognition, All at Once
A new system can learn to identify objects within an image, based on a spoken description of the image.
From ACM TechNews
Women Tech Hiring Sees Minuscule Growth, Short of Hopes
Women were represented in 24% of technical roles this year, with growth of 1.09% over last year, according to an AnitaB.org survey.
About 13% of technical roles were filled by Black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander…From ACM TechNews
Putting Underused Smart Devices to Work
DisCoEdge is a new system that aims to transform the concept of device ownership to improve current utilities and create new services.
From ACM News
What China Can Teach the .S. About Artificial Intelligence
Visionary research is no longer the most important element of progress.
From ACM News
Two Japanese Robots Are Now Happily Hopping on an Asteroid
More than 24 hours after they were released by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to fly down to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu, the Japanese Space Agency has finally provided an update on the fate of the two tiny robots. And they're…
From ACM News
Scientists ID Three Causes of Earth's Spin Axis Drift
A typical desk globe is designed to be a geometric sphere and to rotate smoothly when you spin it. Our actual planet is far less perfect—in both shape and in rotation.
From ACM News
2018 AI Predictions: 8 Insights to Shape Business Strategy
Artificial intelligence (AI) is remarkably complex and advancing quickly. It's impossible for anyone to give a precise vision of how the next several years will unfold.
But it is possible to make specific predictions about…From ACM TechNews
Pepper-Picking Robot Demonstrates Its Skills in Greenhouse Labor Automation
A team of European Union-funded researchers have developed a sweet pepper-harvesting robot that can help farmers reduce their costs.
From ACM TechNews
Creating 3D-Printed 'Motion Sculptures' From 2D Videos
A new algorithm can take two-dimensional videos and turn them into three-dimensionally-printed "motion sculptures" that show how a human body moves through space.
From ACM TechNews
Mathematicians Calculate the Safest Way Home
Researchers in the U.K. have developed a mobile app that guides pedestrians along the safest, rather than the quickest, route to their destination.
From ACM TechNews
Number of Women Studying Computer Skills in .K. Falls by a Third
Fewer female students in the U.K. take the General Certificate of Secondary Education exam in computing or information and communications technology.
From ACM TechNews
New Security Flaw Discovered in Wi-Fi Routers
University of California, Riverside researchers have found an irreparable flaw in all modern Wi-Fi routers.
From ACM News
Top Drone: Reaper Scores Drone Kill in Air-to-Air Missile Test
The US Air Force has revealed that an MQ-9 Reaper uncrewed aircraft successfully shot down a smaller drone with a heat-seeking air-to-air missile in a test last November.
From ACM News
Hayabusa2 Prepares to Drop Rovers on Asteroid Ryugu
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is exploring Ryugu, an asteroid thought to contain water ice and other materials from the early solar system.
From ACM News
Hologram Phone Calls; Sci-Fi or Serious Possibility?
High-speed 5G networks could lead to big changes in how we use our mobile phones, allowing us to enjoy virtual reality on-the-go, interactive live broadcasts, and even project holograms from our handsets. But will connection …
From ACM TechNews
AI Tries Bad Improv Comedy to Trick People Into Thinking It Is Human
Improbotics is an artificial intelligence-based comedy theater that includes a human, a puppet, and a cyborg.
From ACM TechNews
Putting Answers to the Test
A new algorithm creates plausible answers designed to distract students from the correct answer in multiple choice exams.
From ACM TechNews
3D Virtual Simulation Gets to the 'Heart' of Irregular Heartbeats
Researchers have created three-dimensional virtual simulations of the human heart, in order to stop potentially fatal irregular and rapid heartbeats in patients with scarring in the heart.
From ACM TechNews
Insect-Inspired Vision System Helps Drones Pass Through Small Gaps
A new system allows a drone to fly through very small and completely unknown gaps using a single camera and onboard processing.
From ACM News
.S. Election System Security Still Vexing
There appears to be no standard approach among the state and local jurisdictions that will administer the next election.
From ACM News
U.S. Tech Giants Eye AI Key to Unlock China Push
U.S. technology giants, facing tighter content rules in China and the threat of a trade war, are targeting an easier way into the world's second largest economy—artificial intelligence.
From ACM News
Duolingo, CAPTCHA Co-founder Luis von Ahn Wins Prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize
"It's been my life's dream to be able to invent new technology that can help reduce inequality by making high-quality education accessible to everyone."
From ACM TechNews
Photonic Chip Promises More Robust Quantum Computers
A team from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology has developed a topological photonic chip to process quantum information, a breakthrough that could serve as a more robust option for scalable quantum computers.
From ACM TechNews
One Big Reason Why Women Drop Out of Doctoral STEM Programs
Researchers have found that the fewer women who enter a doctoral program at the same time, the less likely any one of them will graduate within six years.
From ACM TechNews
New Devices Based on Rust Could Reduce Excess Heat in Computers
Researchers have demonstrated that antiferromagnetic iron oxide, the main component of rust, is an inexpensive and promising material to transport information with low excess heating at increased speeds.