Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
Searching for the Perfect Artificial Synapse for AI
What's the best type of device from which to build a neural network? Of course, it should be fast, small, consume little power, have the ability to reliably store...
From ACM TechNews
IHMC Teaches Atlas to Walk Like a Human
Roboticists at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition are teaching Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas a more natural walking gait.
From ACM TechNews
This Plant Is Driving Its Own Robot
Elowan is a mobile cybernetic plant with a robotic base.
From ACM TechNews
The .S. National Academies Reports on the Prospects for Quantum Computing
A task force evaluated the feasibility of developing a functional quantum computer, emphasizing "the time and resources required, and how to assess the probability...
From ACM News
DeepMind Achieves Holy Grail: An AI That Can Master Games Like Chess and Go Without Human Help
DeepMind, the London-based subsidiary of Alphabet, has created a system that can quickly master any game in the class that includes chess, Go, and Shogi, and do...
From ACM TechNews
The Challenges of Predicting Mob Behavior at Political Rallies
A new model can better predict social contagions that occur at political rallies than previous methods.
From ACM News
Quantum Computing: Atomic Clocks Make for Longer-Lasting Qubits
A decade ago, quantum computing was still something of a parlor game.
From ACM TechNews
Maryland Test Confirms Drones Can Safely Deliver Human Organs
University of Maryland researchers have tested organ delivery via aerial drone.
From ACM TechNews
Robots Finally Learning to Clean the Bathroom
Researchers at the University of Koblenz-Landa in Germany developed a robotic system that was able to successfully clean at least 80% of the liquid from on and...
From ACM TechNews
This Robot Transforms Itself to Navigate an Obstacle Course
Researchers have created robots that can adapt to their environment based on centralized sensory processing, environmental perception, and decision-making software...
From ACM TechNews
How to Encode a Secret Message in a Fingerprint
Researchers have developed a method for constructing digital fingerprints that encode secret messages into the spiral points on the prints.
From ACM News
This Robot Transforms Itself to Navigate an Obstacle Course
When you've got a hammer, everything looks like a nail, but the world starts to look more interesting if your hammer can change shape.
From ACM TechNews
Tiny Drones Team p to Open Doors
Researchers have developed palm-sized drones that can forcefully tug objects 40 times their own mass by anchoring themselves to the ground or to walls.
From ACM News
Baidu's AI Can Do Simultaneous Translation Between Any Two Languages
Would-be travelers of the galaxy, rejoice: The Chinese tech giant Baidu has invented a translation system that brings us one step closer to a software Babel fish...
From ACM TechNews
AI on a MEMS Device Brings Neuromorphic Computing to the Edge
Researchers have outfitted a micro-electromechanical system with artificial intelligence, enabling neuromorphic computing in a microscale device and bringing edge...
From ACM News
How Political Campaigns Weaponize Social Media Bots
In the summer of 2017, a group of young political activists in the United Kingdom figured out how to use the popular dating app Tinder to attract new supporters...
From ACM News
AI on a MEMS Device Brings Neuromorphic Computing to the Edge
In order to achieve the edge computing that people talk about in a host of applications including 5G networks and the Internet of Things (IoT), you need to pack...
From ACM TechNews
HyQ Steps Across Gaps Despite Getting Yanked Around
Researchers used a convolutional neural network to reduce the amount of time the HyQ quadruped robot needs to plan its foot placement by several orders of magnitude...
From ACM TechNews
This Tech Would Have Spotted the Secret Chinese Chip in Seconds
Researchers have developed a semiautomated system that could have identified in seconds malicious chips reportedly inserted into computer systems by the Chinese...
From ACM News