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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Lawrence Livermore Scientists Set a New Simulation Speed Record on the Sequoia Supercomputer
From ACM TechNews

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Lawrence Livermore Scientists Set a New Simulation Speed Record on the Sequoia Supercomputer

Computer scientists have reached a record simulation speed of 504 billion events per second on the Sequoia Blue Gene/Q supercomputer. 

High-Tech Camera Acts Like a Bug's Eye
From ACM News

High-Tech Camera Acts Like a Bug's Eye

The next generation of digital cameras could show us how bugs see the world.

Seahorse's Armor Gives Engineers Insight Into Robotics Designs
From ACM TechNews

Seahorse's Armor Gives Engineers Insight Into Robotics Designs

A team of engineers plan to use a structure that is similar to the armored tail of a seahorse to create a flexible robotic arm with muscles made out of polymer. ...

E-Tattoo Monitors Brainwaves and Baby Bump
From ACM TechNews

E-Tattoo Monitors Brainwaves and Baby Bump

A transparent patch containing electronic circuits as thin as a human hair  could be used to monitor rudimentary brain activity. 

Skinny Rfid Tags Could Soon Show Up Embedded in Paper
From ACM News

Skinny Rfid Tags Could Soon Show Up Embedded in Paper

Two new developments in RFID research could pave the way for tags that are thinner, cheaper, and more versatile. Using new materials and cutting-edge laser fabrication...

Revolutionizing Tornado Prediction
From ACM TechNews

Revolutionizing Tornado Prediction

Researchers are developing a tornado modeling and simulation system that aims to explain why some storms generate tornadoes, while others do not. 

Perpetual Motion Test Could Amend Theory of Time
From ACM News

Perpetual Motion Test Could Amend Theory of Time

In February 2012, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Frank Wilczek decided to go public with a strange and, he worried, somewhat embarrassing idea.

Students’ Lofty Goal Is Clear
From ACM TechNews

Students’ Lofty Goal Is Clear

WashBOT is a multiyear project to automate the process of cleaning recessed windows in buildings that present problems for human and machine-based washers. 

Brain Computer Interfaces Inch Closer to Mainstream
From ACM News

Brain Computer Interfaces Inch Closer to Mainstream

Last week, engineers sniffing around the programming code for Google Glass found hidden examples of ways that people might interact with the wearable computers...

20 Years On, the Open Web Faces Challenges
From ACM Opinion

20 Years On, the Open Web Faces Challenges

For people of a certain age in the technology industry, one of the ways of establishing a connection with someone is by asking some version of the following question...

In the Fog of Battle Acoustic Sensors Pinpoint Gunfire By Measuring Air Movement
From ACM News

In the Fog of Battle Acoustic Sensors Pinpoint Gunfire By Measuring Air Movement

Sensors originally designed to alert pilots of single-engine planes to the location of nearby aircraft are instead finding a military role locating unseen battle...

Would You Like Your Assistant Human or Robotic?
From ACM TechNews

Would You Like Your Assistant Human or Robotic?

Asked about assistive robots, more than half of healthcare providers would prefer assistance in the form of a robotic helper over a human.

Squishy Robots Evolve to Run
From ACM TechNews

Squishy Robots Evolve to Run

Researchers have released a video that shows the evolution of a creature into a galloping, soft robot over 1,000 generations. 

Google Glass Could Spur Wearable Tech Boom
From ACM TechNews

Google Glass Could Spur Wearable Tech Boom

IHS estimates that wearable-technology companies could sell up to 9.4 million devices by 2016. 

Robot-Human Interaction: Will We Bond With Bots In The Future?
From ACM TechNews

Robot-Human Interaction: Will We Bond With Bots In The Future?

As robots become more intelligent and aware, experts say people might develop emotional relationships with them. 

How Pixar Made Monsters ­niversity, Its Latest Technological Marvel
From ACM Careers

How Pixar Made Monsters ­niversity, Its Latest Technological Marvel

Monsters University, the new animated film from Disney's Pixar division that debuts on June 21, will serve as light summer entertainment for most audiences. But...

Herschel Completes Its 'cool' Journey in Space
From ACM News

Herschel Completes Its 'cool' Journey in Space

The Herschel observatory, a European space telescope for which NASA helped build instruments and process data, has stopped making observations after running out...

Speed of Light May Not Be Constant, Physicists Say
From ACM News

Speed of Light May Not Be Constant, Physicists Say

The speed of light is constant, or so textbooks say. But some scientists are exploring the possibility that this cosmic speed limit changes, a consequence of the...

The Great Surveillance Boom
From ACM Careers

The Great Surveillance Boom

Video surveillance is big business. Expect it to get bigger. After law enforcement used closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to help identify last week's Boston...

World's Most Human-Like Android Head
From ACM TechNews

World's Most Human-Like Android Head

Roboticist David Hanson says his latest creation is  the "world's most human-like android head." 
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