Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
November 2019
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Army Creating Robots That Can Follow Orders
Researchers have developed software that allows robots to understand verbal instructions, carry out those instructions, and report back.
From ACM TechNews
How Do U.S. Students' Computer, Information Literacy Skills Stack Up?
An international study gauges students' computer and information literacy skills, along with computational thinking.
From ACM TechNews
Future of Autonomous Delivery May Be Unfolding in Suburban Houston
Robotics company Nuro has been field-testing delivery via autonomous vehicles (AV) in Houston.
From ACM TechNews
Hyundai Develops Next-Generation Noise Cancellation Technology
Hyundai researchers developed next-generation active noise cancellation (ANC) technology.
From ACM TechNews
Bespoke Bionic Hand Made in 10 Hours
Researchers have developed a method of three-dimensionally printing a bionic hand that incorporates muscle sensors to control an articulated thumb, enabling it to function similarly to a human hand.
From ACM News
Man versus Artificial Intelligence: From Deep Blue to DeepMind in 20 Years
Garry Kasparov and DeepMind's CEO Demis Hassabis discuss Kasparov's new book "Deep Thinking: Where Machine Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins," his chess match with IBM Deep Blue, and his thoughts on the future of …
From ACM News
UNIX Version 0, Running on a PDP-7, in 2019
The Living Computers museum in Seattle has been running UNIX version 0 on a DEC PDP-7 minicomputer.
From ACM TechNews
AI System Evolves to Evade Internet Censorship
A artificial intelligence system based on genetic evolution has learned to automatically evade online censorship by repressive governments.
From ACM TechNews
Can a Unicorn Outrun Earthquakes?
Researchers are using the IBM AC922 Summit supercomputer to simulate the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
From ACM TechNews
IBM Hopes to Change Weather Forecasting Around the Globe Using Big Data, Supercomputer
IBM has launched a global weather model that it says offers more accurate forecasts for the entire world and can provide details for regions as small as two miles wide.
From ACM TechNews
Fordham Business Students Have New Tool to Prepare Them for Boardrooms: VR
Fordham University students are using virtual reality technology to build their business skills in simulated environments.
From ACM TechNews
Sensor to Save Children, Pets Left in Vehicles
A new device combines radar technology with artificial intelligence to detect unattended children or animals left in vehicles when the driver leaves with 100% accuracy.
From ACM TechNews
Worker Robots that Learn from Mistakes
Computer scientists are using the artificial intelligence techniques of automated planning and reinforcement learning to train a robot to find an object in a cluttered space and move it.
From ACM TechNews
How Russia's Online Censorship Could Jeopardize Internet Freedom Worldwide
Researchers have found Russia's Internet censorship laws have troubling implications for online freedom in the U.S. and other countries that share its decentralized network structure.
From ACM TechNews
Drone Registration Made Compulsory as U.K. Scheme Launches
A new mandatory national registration scheme calls for drone users in the U.K. to pass an online test and pay a £9 annual fee, or face a £1,000 fine.
From ACM TechNews
Software Developers in Fintech, Cloud Sectors Earn the Most in South Africa
South African software developers in the fintech and cloud services sectors are the most highly paid developers, according to the “2019 State of South Africa's Software Developers Nation” report.
From ACM News
Machine Learning vs. Machine Learning
Using machine learning to detect deepfakes created for criminal purposes with machine learning.
From ACM News
The Second Machine Age Hits The Tipping Point
AI, robotics, and industrial software are rapidly approaching a tipping point that could correspond with the greatest level of stock outperformance.
From ACM TechNews
WPI Researchers Discover Vulnerabilities Affecting Billions of Computer Chips
Researchers found two flaws impacting Intel and STMicroelectronics central processing units that hackers could exploit to steal or doctor data on billions of devices.
From ACM TechNews
Apple Card Algorithm Sparks Gender Bias Allegations Against Goldman Sachs
Danish software developer David Heinemeier Hansson cited apparent gender discrimination in the Apple Card algorithm, spurring an investigation into Apple Card partner Goldman Sachs' credit card practices.
From ACM TechNews
Meal-Detection Technology Brings Artificial Pancreas Closer to Reality
Artificial intelligence researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have created a system that detects when someone is eating and calculates their carbohydrate intake.
From ACM TechNews
MIT Robot Can Grow Like a Plant When It Needs Extra Reach
A new robotic system can "grow" in a way similar to how a young plant grows upward.
From ACM TechNews
This Piece of Music Could Stop Your Amazon Alexa
Carnegie Mellon University researchers developed a technique to inhibit the Amazon Alexa voice assistant's ability to respond to commands by playing an audio clip.
From ACM TechNews
How Do You Like Your Beef ... Old-Style Cow or 3D-Printed?
Israeli and Spanish companies are offering three-dimensionally (3D)-printed meat products synthesized from plant protein.
From ACM TechNews
Technique Helps Robots Find the Front Door
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a robotic navigation method that does not require mapping an area in advance.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Used in Crime Fly Under the Law's Radar
When a drone is flown as part of a crime, authorities often have a hard time collecting evidence unless they can actually obtain the device.
From ACM TechNews
3D-Printed Plastics With High-Performance Electrical Circuits
Innovation could lead to better drones, satellites, biomedical devices.
From ACM News
'Magic Mirror on My Wall…'
Smart mirrors bring a new form-factor to on-campus information access.
From ACM News
What Self-driving Cars Can’t Recognize May be a Matter of Life and Death
Engineers are racing to program artificial intelligence to recognize different scenarios that human drivers know inherently.
From ACM TechNews
Pentagon Advisory Board Releases Principles for Ethical Use of AI in Warfare
The U.S. Defense Innovation Board has published a set of ethical principles for how military agencies should design weapons enabled by artificial intelligence and apply them on the battlefield.