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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.


Ames Laboratory Physicists Discover New Type of Material That May Speed Computing
From ACM TechNews

Ames Laboratory Physicists Discover New Type of Material That May Speed Computing

Researchers say they have discovered a topological metal that could be used in futuristic energy-efficient computers with higher processor speeds and data storage...

Experiencing ­nderwater Worlds, Virtually
From ACM TechNews

Experiencing ­nderwater Worlds, Virtually

Dhruv Jain led the creation of a scuba-diving simulator as part of his Amphibian virtual reality project. 

Arms Control Groups ­rge Human Control of Robot Weaponry
From ACM News

Arms Control Groups ­rge Human Control of Robot Weaponry

Two international arms control groups on Monday issued a report that called for maintaining human control over a new generation of weapons that are increasingly...

Why Robots Need to Be Able to Say 'no'
From ACM TechNews

Why Robots Need to Be Able to Say 'no'

Robots' blind obedience to human instructions can lead to harmful results and unwanted outcomes.

First Paralysed Person to Be 'reanimated' Offers Neuroscience Insights
From ACM News

First Paralysed Person to Be 'reanimated' Offers Neuroscience Insights

A quadriplegic man who has become the first person to be implanted with technology that sends signals from the brain to muscles—allowing him to regain some movement...

Silicon Valley Targets Smart Guns
From ACM News

Silicon Valley Targets Smart Guns

In the 2012 movie Skyfall, James Bond brandishes his trusty sidearm, but with a high-tech twist: There's a sensor in the grip that reads palm prints so only he...

Soft Robotic Fingers Recognize Objects By Feel
From ACM TechNews

Soft Robotic Fingers Recognize Objects By Feel

Daniela Rus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has led the development of bendable, stretchable robot fingers that can lift and handle delicate objects...

What Social Media Data Could Tell US About the Future
From ACM TechNews

What Social Media Data Could Tell US About the Future

Northeastern University researchers are working with a group of scientists to develop a method to map how tweets about large-scale social events spread. 

Turing Tests and the Problem of Artificial Olfaction
From ACM TechNews

Turing Tests and the Problem of Artificial Olfaction

The ability to reproduce scent artificially is surprisingly complex, and the work of the Weizmann Institute of Science's David Harel sheds light on the issue. 

How Microsoft Conjured ­p Real-Life Star Wars Holograms
From ACM TechNews

How Microsoft Conjured ­p Real-Life Star Wars Holograms

In holoportation, a live hologram of a person is projected into another room for real-time interaction with whomever is present.

Rescued Japanese Spacecraft Delivers First Results from Venus
From ACM News

Rescued Japanese Spacecraft Delivers First Results from Venus

After an unplanned five-year detour, Japan's Venus probe, Akatsuki, has come back to life with a bang.

First Came the Breathalyzer, Now Meet the Roadside Police 'textalyzer'
From ACM News

First Came the Breathalyzer, Now Meet the Roadside Police 'textalyzer'

We're all familiar with the Breathalyzer, the brand name for a roadside device that measures a suspected drunken driver's blood-alcohol level.

The Tremendous Ambitions Behind New York City's Free Wifi
From ACM News

The Tremendous Ambitions Behind New York City's Free Wifi

At this very moment in New York City, you can walk up to one of 65 futuristic kiosks, punch in an email address on your phone and instantly receive a wireless Internet...

Diamonds May Be Quantum Computing's Best Friend
From ACM TechNews

Diamonds May Be Quantum Computing's Best Friend

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have developed a new approach to maintaining quantum superposition using synthetic diamonds. 

Graphene Filter Could Make Wireless Data Transmission 10 Times Faster
From ACM TechNews

Graphene Filter Could Make Wireless Data Transmission 10 Times Faster

Swiss researchers have developed a graphene filter for microchips that could lead to wireless transmission rates 10 times as fast as what chips deliver today. 

Why Our Crazy-Smart AI Still Sucks at Transcribing Speech
From ACM TechNews

Why Our Crazy-Smart AI Still Sucks at Transcribing Speech

The task of providing accurate transcriptions of long blocks of human conversation remains beyond the abilities of even today's most advanced software. 

Silicon Valley Could Gain $25 Billion By Narrowing Gender Gap
From ACM TechNews

Silicon Valley Could Gain $25 Billion By Narrowing Gender Gap

Closing the gender gap could net Silicon Valley $25 billion in gross domestic product by 2025, according to a new McKinsey study. 

The Future of Microchips
From ACM News

The Future of Microchips

Intel, IBM, and others stake their claims to the future technology path for semiconductors.

Measurement of Universe's Expansion Rate Creates Cosmological Puzzle
From ACM News

Measurement of Universe's Expansion Rate Creates Cosmological Puzzle

The most precise measurement ever made of the current rate of expansion of the Universe has produced a value that appears incompatible with measurements of radiation...

Italians, Helped By an App, Translate the Talmud
From ACM TechNews

Italians, Helped By an App, Translate the Talmud

The first Italian translation of the Babylonian Talmud has been completed after five years of work by scholars, linguists, philologists, editors, and computer scientists...
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