Communications of the ACM
Will AI Replace Computer Programmers?
Advances in artificial intelligence tools that can code could improve productivity, but portend disruption.
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.
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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.
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Quantum Computers May Finally Have Practical Use
Researchers have developed a method for certifying that quantum computers generate truly random numbers without having to inspect the process.
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Flying Robot Echolocates Like a Bat to Avoid Hitting Walls
Frederike Dümbgen and colleagues have equipped a flying robot to use bat-like echolocation to map its surroundings using a simple microphone and speaker.
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Noisy Flashing Drone Could Stop Bats Crashing into Wind Turbines
Yuval Werber and colleagues at Israel's University of Haifa invented a drone that makes noise and flashes lights to prevent bats from colliding with turbine blades...
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Online Advertising Estimated to Use as Much Energy as a Small Country
Researchers have developed a system that can calculate energy consumption related to online advertising.
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Quantum Computers Vulnerable to Eavesdropping Hackers
Allen Mi and colleagues at Yale University warn that even carefully wiping quantum computers of data would not thwart its theft by hackers.
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AI-Designed Invisibility Cloak Could Hide Small Communication Devices
Researchers used artificial intelligence to design an invisibility cloak to conceal antennas or small communication devices from infrared light or microwave detectors...
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Unpiloted Military Helicopter Flies 134 km in Simulated Mission
The U.S. Army flew an autonomous Black Hawk Helicopter 134 kilometers (83 miles) to deliver 230 kilograms (507 lbs.) of simulated and real blood.
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Too Many Electric Cars Charging at Night May Overload Electrical Grid
Computer modeling determined the western U.S. power grid could be strained if electric vehicle owners primarily charging their vehicles at home overnight.
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Face Recognition for Pigs Could Improve Welfare on Farms
Wenhao Zhang and colleagues at the U.K.'s University of the West of England have developed a facial recognition system for pigs.
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Sensory Trick Makes Objects Seem Heavy or Light in VR
Vibrating pads on people's arms can support a more convincing illusion of weight in virtual reality by fooling the brain into ignoring certain sensory input.
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Apps Used as Alternatives to Prison in U.S. Have Privacy Flaws
Researchers found privacy flaws in apps used in the U.S. to track people waiting for immigration court dates, those in juvenile detention systems, and those on...
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DeepMind AI Learns to Play Soccer Using Decades of Match Simulations
Researchers trained an artificial intellgence to play soccer using an athletic curriculum resembling an accelerated model of a human baby maturing into a soccer...
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Earthquakes Seem to Come in a More Predictable Pattern Than We Thought
A machine learning model developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis can analyze decades of earthquake data to predict future earthquakes.
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Your Smartphone Could Recognize You by How You Hold It
Researchers trained an artificial intelligence-powered algorithm to identify individuals based their hand vibrations when holding a smartphone.
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Quantum Computers Might Not Offer Extreme Speed Boost for Chemistry
New research suggests the required computing power could diminish quantum computing's exponential speed advantage.
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Artificial Neuron Swaps Dopamine with Rat Brain Cells Like a Real One
Could be incorporated into future human-machine interfaces.
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Robot Unties Knotted Cables but Can't Pick Them Up
University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) researchers have developed a robot that can untie knotted cables using the grippers on its arms.
From ACM TechNews
How the Secrets of Ancient Cuneiform Texts Are Being Revealed by AI
Artificial intelligence is being used to read and translate cuneiform, helping to recreate ancient libraries by piecing together fragmented tablets and predicting...
From ACM TechNews