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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.


Tackling the Limits of Touch Screens
From ACM News

Tackling the Limits of Touch Screens

Touch screens are ubiquitous on tablets and smartphones, but their flat glass surfaces can hinder close reading and accurate typing.

Do We Need Asimov's Laws?
From ACM News

Do We Need Asimov's Laws?

In 1942, the science fiction author Isaac Asimov published a short story called Runaround in which he introduced three laws that governed the behaviour of robots...

3D Printing Reveals the Power of Shark Skin
From ACM Careers

3D Printing Reveals the Power of Shark Skin

Viewed up close, a shark's skin bristles with tiny teeth or "denticles" which aid swimming.

Some Predictions About the Internet of Things and Wearable Tech From Pew Research
From ACM News

Some Predictions About the Internet of Things and Wearable Tech From Pew Research

Remember the prediction that one day your oven would be connected to the Internet and have the ability to talk to your car?

Quantum Positioning System Steps In When Gps Fails
From ACM News

Quantum Positioning System Steps In When Gps Fails

In 2016 a British submarine will slip its moorings and set sail under the guidance of the quantum world.

Sentient Robots? Not Possible If You Do the Maths
From ACM News

Sentient Robots? Not Possible If You Do the Maths

So long, robot pals—and robot overlords.

Google's Self-Driving Car Turns Out to Be a Very Smart Ride
From ACM News

Google's Self-Driving Car Turns Out to Be a Very Smart Ride

A white Lexus hybrid SUV inches to the left, creating a slightly wider buffer as it passes a bicyclist in the bike lane on a busy and unseasonably hot Tuesday afternoon...

Nasa Plans Mars Sample-Return Rover
From ACM News

Nasa Plans Mars Sample-Return Rover

NASA's Curiosity rover is in the prime of its life, exploring the rocks, soil and air of Mars. But the agency is already planning its successor—and this time, the...

When Driverless Cars Crash, Who's to Blame?
From ACM News

When Driverless Cars Crash, Who's to Blame?

Self-driving cars have an undeniable allure: Think of all the fun things you could do if you didn't have to keep your eyes on the road!

It's Judgment Day For Killer Robots at the ­nited Nations
From ACM News

It's Judgment Day For Killer Robots at the ­nited Nations

Has the age of the Robocop and Terminator arrived?

Research in India Suggests Google Search Results Can Influence an Election
From ACM News

Research in India Suggests Google Search Results Can Influence an Election

Google long ago went from being a mere directory of the Internet to a shaper of online reality, helping determine what we see and how.

­.s. Fda Approves 'star Wars' Robotic Arm For Amputees
From ACM News

­.s. Fda Approves 'star Wars' Robotic Arm For Amputees

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a robotic arm for amputees that is named for the "Star Wars" character Luke Skywalker and can perform multiple...

Cheap Gadget Lets You Steer a Wheelchair with Your Eyes
From ACM News

Cheap Gadget Lets You Steer a Wheelchair with Your Eyes

Put some "crap" technology with some smart software and you get one life-changing solution.

The Not-So-Distant Future When We Can All ­pgrade Our Brains
From ACM Opinion

The Not-So-Distant Future When We Can All ­pgrade Our Brains

In a decade, cognitive enhancement may have gone mainstream.

A Synthetic Biology Conference Lures an Intriguing Audience
From ACM News

A Synthetic Biology Conference Lures an Intriguing Audience

When does a scientific conference warrant the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security?

Cassini Revisited
From ACM Opinion

Cassini Revisited

When its handlers finally steer it into a collision course with Saturn in 2017, the spacecraft Cassini will have been in space for two decades, 13 of those years...

Disney Invents Robots That Swarm Into Colorful Animations
From ACM News

Disney Invents Robots That Swarm Into Colorful Animations

Walt Disney pioneered the art of animation and pushed the boundaries of robotics with his audio-animatronic presidents, but now the research lab that bears hisETH...

Scientific Computing's Future: Can Any Coding Language Top a 1950s Behemoth?
From ACM News

Scientific Computing's Future: Can Any Coding Language Top a 1950s Behemoth?

Take a tour through the research laboratories at any university physics department or national lab, and much of what you will see defines "cutting edge."

Poetic Process Could Extend the End of Moore's Law
From ACM TechNews

Poetic Process Could Extend the End of Moore's Law

A process called Planar Opto-Electronic Technology could extend the life of Moore's Law. 

Model ­niverse Recreates Evolution of the Cosmos
From ACM News

Model ­niverse Recreates Evolution of the Cosmos

Can current theories of cosmology explain how the Universe evolved?
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