Communications of the ACM
Pen-Based Computing: Still Looking For The Write App
The sector, once popular, is searching for applications and users.
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.
From ACM TechNews
How Paper Batteries Charged by Bacteria Could Power Internet of Things
A paper-based single-use battery harnesses bacteria to generate an electric current, and then to consume the battery after its use.
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A Twist in Graphene Could Make for Tunable Electronic Devices
Researchers have demonstrated proof of principle for a method of controlling graphene's rotation and the dynamic variance of its electrical, optical, and mechanical...
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World's Largest Robot Hauls Ore Through Western Australia
The world's largest robot is an autonomous train that hauls tons of material across Australia.
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Augmented Reality Makes Robots Better Coworkers
Roboticists from the University of Colorado, Boulder are investigating the use of augmented reality to improve human-robot collaboration.
From ACM TechNews
Sprawling Wheel Leg Robot Crawls and Climbs
A sprawling robot at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel upgrades an earlier design's wheel-leg mobility so it can scale impediments.
From ACM TechNews
Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators
Cornell University researchers have devised ways for biodegradable robotic actuators to be powered by popping corn.
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New Optimization Algorithm Exponentially Speeds Computation
A new algorithm could dramatically slash the time it can take computers to recommend movies or route taxis.
From ACM TechNews
Teaching Bipedal Robots to Step Across Discrete Terrain
Leveraging recent advances in optimal and nonlinear control systems, the University of California, Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University have demonstrated a bipedal...
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A .S. Machine Recaptures the Supercomputing Crown
Today, U.S. supercomputer advocates are cheering, because for the first time since 2012, a U.S. supercomputer—Oak Ridge National Laboratory's newly installed ...
From ACM TechNews
Flying DRAGON Robot Transforms Itself to Squeeze Through Gaps
A new modular flying robot powered by ducted fans can change shape while in flight.
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Firefighting Robot Snake Flies on Jets of Water
Researchers in Japan have developed a firefighting snake-like robot with the body of a fire hose.
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The 2017 Top Programming Languages
It's summertime here at IEEE Spectrum, and that means it's time for our fourth interactive ranking of the top programming languages.
From ACM TechNews
Making Radio Chips for Hell
A new wireless radio mixer integrated circuit can operate at temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius.
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Hiding Information in Plain Text
Computer scientists have now invented a way to hide secret messages in ordinary text by imperceptibly changing the shapes of letters.
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Spying on a Storm's Infrasonic Signals to Improve Tornado Warnings
Tornado survivors often compare the terrifying, deafening roars of a twister's furious winds to the sound of a freight train. But storms also emit sounds that are...
From ACM TechNews
FlyJacket Lets You Control a Drone With Your Body
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne has developed an intuitive, wearable drone control system.
From ACM TechNews
Nanobots Glide Through Living Cells
Using small, rotating magnetic fields, researchers controlled nanomachines inside of living cells to trace the letters "N" and "M."
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20 Entangled Qubits Bring the Quantum Computer Closer
In 1981, Richard Feynman suggested that a quantum computer might be able to simulate the evolution of quantum systems much better than classical computers. Except...
From ACM TechNews
'Quasi-Non-Volatile' Memory Looks to Fill Gap Between Volatile and Non-Volatile Memory
Researchers at Fudan University in China have created a new gate design for transistors using two-dimensional materials
From ACM TechNews