Communications of the ACM
A Healthy Dose of AI
Building artificial intelligence into medical devices can speed diagnoses and potentially improve treatments and outcomes.
From ACM NewsAn edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
Microsoft Says Its Weird New Particle Could Improve Quantum Computers
Researchers at Microsoft say they have created elusive quasiparticles called Majorana zero modes–but scientists outside the company are skeptical.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Grows Plants as Well as Humans, but Uses Less Water
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, developed a robot gardener that can grow plants as capably as humans, while saving more water.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Dog Spots Invasive Fire Ant Nests Better Than Humans
Scientists in China and Brazil are testing robotic dogs and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect invasive fire ant nests.
From ACM TechNews
The Unique Promise of 'Biological Computers'
Scientists envision biological computers as technology that could help researchers meet challenges in previously inaccessible domains.
From ACM TechNews
Sound-Based Quantum Computers Could Be Built Using Chip-Sized Device
University of Chicago researchers have confirmed the feasibility of building sound-based quantum computers.
From ACM News
DeepMind AI's New Way to Sort Objects Could Speed up Global Computing
Sorting algorithms are basic functions used constantly by computers around the world, so an improved one could make millions of programs run faster.
From ACM TechNews
Pneumatic Computer Uses Pressure Instead of Electricity
Elliot Hui and colleagues at the University of California, Irvine, built a computer from glass and silicone that encodes data using pneumatic pressure instead of...
From ACM TechNews
Ethereum Closes Security Hole with Energy-Saving Update
An update rolled out by the Ethereum cryptocurrency reduced the energy needed to produce it, and also fixed a security flaw.
From ACM TechNews
Sound Vibrations Can Encode, Process Data Like Quantum Computers
University of Arizona researchers demonstrated that trapping sound in a simple mechanical device can imitate certain properties of quantum computers.
From ACM TechNews
Software Update for World's Wind Farms Could Power Millions More Homes
A software upgrade developed by researchers at France's Polytechnic Institute of Paris improves the efficiency of wind turbines by ensuring they spend more time...
From ACM TechNews
Centipede Robots with More Legs Better at Walking Over Bumps
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that multi-legged robots with more legs were better at navigating rough terrain than those with fewer legs...
From ACM TechNews
Smart Glasses Dim Bright Objects
Camera- and liquid-crystal display-equipped smart glasses can "balance" a scene by dimming bright objects without affecting dim ones.
From ACM TechNews
Inflatable Drone Can Bounce Off Walls, Perch on Nearly Anything
Arizona State University researchers have developed an inflatable drone that can perch on nearly any object.
From ACM News
Wood Transistor Could Let Us Embed Electronics in Trees
An electrochemical transistor made from balsa wood opens up the possibility of embedding sensors and other electronic devices in plants, which could help in agriculture...
From ACM TechNews
Shapes 3D-Printed into Living Worms Could Be Future of Brain Implants
A technique developed by researchers at the U.K.'s Lancaster University can print conductive circuits inside living organisms using a photonic three-dimensional...
From ACM News
Crystal Impervious to Radiation Could be Used in Spaceship Computers
Putting two forms of semiconductor material called gallium oxide together seems to make it completely resistant to radiation.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Made of DNA Works Out Prime Factors of 6 and 15
Researchers at China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University developed a simple computer using molecules of folded DNA that was able to split the numbers 6 and 15 into...
From ACM TechNews
Supersized Atoms Could Help Quantum Computers Link to Optical Fibers
Researchers developed a device that could enable multiple quantum computers to be networked together by converting quantum outputs into light signals that can travel...
From ACM TechNews
Venus Flytrap Cyborg Snaps Shut with Smartphone Commands
Wenlong Li and colleagues at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have transformed Venus flytraps into biological robots.
From ACM TechNews