Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
May 2019
From ACM TechNews
DeepMind Can Now Beat s at Multiplayer Games, Too
Researchers have developed automated "agents" that display humanlike behavior when playing in capture-the-flag mode in the Quake III multiplayer computer game.
From ACM TechNews
SlothBot Takes Leisurely Approach to Environmental Monitoring
A new environmental monitoring robot measures chemical and climate-related changes in forest canopies, and is powered by photovoltaic panels to operate for months at a time.
From ACM TechNews
What Do Dating Technology and Alzheimer's Have in Common?
Researchers have developed a method of teaching a computer to detect an indicator of Alzheimer's disease in human brain tissue.
From ACM TechNews
Apple, Google, WhatsApp Condemn British Spy Agency Proposal to Access Encrypted Messages
Leading technology organizations have criticized an intelligence proposal by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters to let law enforcement to spy on encrypted messages.
From ACM TechNews
Computing Professionals: Leave Internet Connectivity Out of Voting Machine Guidelines
ACM has asked the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to prohibit Internet connections from all voting equipment under an updated set of voluntary guidelines.
From ACM News
Tech Giant Brings Software to a Gun Fight
Stepping into a charged social issue, Silicon Valley tech giant Salesforce.com has asked retailers to stop selling military-style rifles, or stop using its software.
From ACM News
China Pushes Self-Made Chips In Response to .S. Threats
China is stepping up efforts to design and manufacture semiconductors, but self-sufficiency is a long way off .
From ACM TechNews
Immersive Ethics Tool Helps Developers Avoid Internet of Things Dystopia
Researchers have developed an immersive experience that brings users into the world of a fictitious Internet of Things start-up.
From ACM TechNews
Driverless Delivery Vans Are Here as Production Begins in China
Chinese startup Neolix has initiated mass production of self-driving delivery vehicles.
From ACM TechNews
This Robot Helps You Lift Objects--By Looking at Your Biceps
A new robotic system uses machines to help people lift objects by monitoring their muscle movements, producing a smoother robot-human collaboration.
From ACM TechNews
Hospital System ses AI to Predict Deadly Condition
The Montefiore Health System and its affiliated medical school in New York are employing artificial intelligence to predict a common respiratory malady among patients.
From ACM News
Viewing the Web Through Colorblind Eyes
How Web designers develop sites to ensure the colorblind can perceive them.
From ACM TechNews
Drone Can Transform into a Tiny Car to Slide nder Small Gaps
A new shape-shifting drone flies, and can transform into a car once it touches down.
From ACM TechNews
Ghanaian All-Girls Robotic Team Winner of the World Robofest Championship
Team Acrobot, an all-girls robotics team from Ghana, won the 20th edition of the World Robofest Championship at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI.
From ACM TechNews
Bringing Human-Like Reasoning to Driverless Car Navigation
A new system could enable autonomous vehicles to navigate complex environments by checking a basic global positioning system-like map and employing video feeds.
From ACM TechNews
'Mona Lisa' Comes to Life in Computer-Generated 'Living Portrait'
Researchers have created artificial intelligence-animated portraits of the Mona Lisa as digitally modified images or "deepfakes."
From ACM TechNews
In Baltimore and Beyond, Stolen NSA Tool Wreaks Havoc
Ransomware that has frozen thousands of computers in Baltimore and crippled many city services contains a key element developed by the U.S. National Security Agency.
From ACM TechNews
OECD Members, Including .S., Back Guiding Principles to Make AI Safer
More than 40 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are supporting principles to improve the transparency of artificial intelligence.
From ACM News
These Hidden Women Helped Invent Chaos Theory
New material provides a fuller, fairer account of the birth of chaos.
From ACM TechNews
Comcast Is Working On An In-Home Device to Track People's Health
Researchers at Comcast are developing an in-home device to monitor people's basic health metrics using ambient sensors, with plans of launching a pilot test later this year.
From ACM TechNews
Robots Conduct Daily Health Inspections of Schoolchildren in China
More than 2,000 preschools in China are using a robot to check the health status of students each day before they enter the classroom.
From ACM TechNews
Framework Improves 'Continual Learning' for AI
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new framework for deep neural networks that allows artificial intelligence systems to better learn new tasks, while "forgetting" less of what they learned during…
From ACM TechNews
NASA Tests Managing Drones in Cities
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has initiated the last stage of a four-year project to develop a national drone traffic management system.
From ACM TechNews
Ford's Way to Finish Driverless Deliveries: Package-Carrying Robots
Researchers at Ford are working to incorporate into the company’s driverless delivery system an android capable of carrying a 40-pound load.
From ACM TechNews
Computerized Model Reveals Details Of How Human Cells Divide
Researchers at the Allen Institute have developed a visualization of human cell division suitable for professional scientists and inquisitive amateurs.
From ACM TechNews
How Amazon Turned the Tedium of Warehouse Work Into A Game
Amazon has developed a videogame-like competition aimed at making warehouse workers' jobs less tedious, in order to boost their productivity.
From ACM TechNews
5G Networks Could Throw Weather Forecasting Into Chaos
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials are concerned that 5G wireless phones could interfere with weather forecasts.
From ACM TechNews
sing Computer Simulations to Discover Where Neanderthals Lived
Researchers used computer models to identify the locations of Western European Neanderthal settlements.
From ACM TechNews
GM Gives All Its Vehicles a New Soul
A new electronic platform from General Motors is envisioned as the linchpin of the automaker's future, enabling the function of almost all its cars' digital systems.
From ACM TechNews
As Huawei Loses Google, .S.-China Tech Cold War Gets Its Iron Curtain
Google's plan to limit the software services it provides Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei is expected to accelerate the isolation of China's Internet users.