Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2024
From ACM News
A Healthy Dose of AI
Building artificial intelligence into medical devices can speed diagnoses and potentially improve treatments and outcomes.
From ACM TechNews
White House Urges Developers to Stop Using C, C++
The White House Office of the National Cyber Director called on developers to reduce the risk of cyberattacks by using programming languages without memory safety vulnerabilities.
From ACM TechNews
Carmakers Park Aging Models as U.N. Cyber Rule Comes into Effect
Some European car manufacturers are discontinuing older vehicle models ahead of the full implementation of a U.N. cybersecurity regulation in July.
From ACM TechNews
VR Headset on ISS 'Really Makes a Difference' for Astronaut Exercise
Astronauts on the International Space Station can experience cycling routes on Earth with the help of a VR headset and a new exercise bike.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Help Conserve Coastal Ecosystems
University of Alabama student researchers have built and deployed drones as part of coastal conservation efforts.
From ACM TechNews
Lizard-Like Robot for Mars Exploration
A lizard-inspired robot could be used to improve existing rover models for navigating Mars-like terrain.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Speeds Quantum Circuit Computation in Quantum Simulator
Using a quantum simulator they developed, researchers at Fujitsu have determined how to boost the computational speed of quantum-classical hybrid algorithms by 200 times.
From ACM News
Here Come the Killer Robots
Despite concerns, autonomous AI weapons and defense systems for military applications are on the rise.
From ACM TechNews
Boy Born with One Hand Gets Spider-Man Bionic Arm
Open Bionics in Bristol, U.K., recently outfitted two children with bionic arms featuring Spider-Man covers.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. to Invest Billions to Replace High-Tech Cranes at Ports
The U.S. has proposed spending more than $20 billion to bolster domestic port security, including increasing domestic manufacturing of cargo cranes with advanced software.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Putting LLM Brains Inside Robot Bodies
Robotics researchers are using large language models (LLMs) to skirt preprogramming limits.
From ACM TechNews
'AI Godfather', Others Urge More Deepfake Regulation
More than 400 AI experts and executives from various industries signed an open letter calling for increased regulation of deepfakes.
From ACM TechNews
World's First PC Rediscovered Nearly 50 Years After Last Sighting
Employees at U.K. house-clearing firm Just Clear found two Q1 microcomputers, considered the first single-microchip PC, while clearing out a property in December.
From ACM TechNews
When Eyes in the Sky Start Looking Right at You
Satellites like those made by Colorado startup Albedo Space are heightening privacy concerns.
From ACM TechNews
Mind-Reading Devices Are Revealing the Brain's Secrets
Brain-computer interfaces are helping researchers learn more about brain anatomy.
From ACM TechNews
iOS Users' Face Scans Used to Break into Mobile Banking Accounts
iOS users are being targeted with malware that steals face scans from Apple devices to break into and steal money from bank accounts.
From ACM News
Defending the Business
The potential for a cyber incident is a top risk to business globally.
From ACM TechNews
Study Finds Seniors Benefit from Virtual Reality
A study of virtual reality involving 245 participants aged between 65 and 103 found generally positive effects.
From ACM TechNews
The Seeing Eye Dog V2.0
Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland showed off the latest iteration of their RoboGuide, an AI-powered quadruped robot designed to assist visually impaired people.
From ACM TechNews
Brain-Powered Tech Allows Kids 'Trapped in Their Own Bodies' to Play
The Brain Computer Interface program at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital develops technology to allow disabled children to use their minds to move and play.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Invasion Hit a Bump in 2023
The Association for Advancing Automation reported a 30% decline in robot orders by companies in North America last year.
From ACM TechNews
Age, Gender, Nationality Alter Emoji Interpretation
Researchers found that emojis mean different things to different people, depending on the viewer's age, gender, and nationality.
From ACM TechNews
NASA Urges Public to Listen During Total Solar Eclipse
The NASA-funded Eclipse Soundscapes Project is calling on citizen scientists to "listen" to the sounds of animals, birds, and insects during the April 8 total solar eclipse.
From ACM News
The Text File that Runs the Internet
For decades, robots.txt governed the behavior of Web crawlers. But as unscrupulous AI companies seek out more and more data, the basic social contract of the Web is falling apart.
From ACM TechNews
Open Source Security Chip Released
A commercial silicon chip that includes open source, built-in hardware security has been announced by the OpenTitan coalition.
From ACM TechNews
Waymo Recalls Software After Two Self-Driving Cars Hit the Same Truck
Waymo, the self-driving car division of Alphabet, issued a recall for its software after two of its vehicles hit the same pickup truck minutes apart in Phoenix.
From ACM TechNews
Your Body Is Your Next Security Key
Biometric scanning and AI advances could replace the need for badges to enter buildings and regular password resets to access websites.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Announces $5 Billion Commitment for Computer Chip R&D
The Biden administration announced that it would invest $5 billion in the National Semiconductor Technology Center.
From ACM TechNews
Superconducting Circuits Push the Limits of Quantum Data Transfer
University of Chicago researchers created a quantum communication testbed with remote superconducting nodes, laying the foundation for more secure communication networks.
From ACM TechNews
Chatbot Shows Talent for Predicting Chemical Properties, Reactions
Researchers adapted GPT-3, the large language model behind ChatGPT, to answer questions about chemical compounds or materials.