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 TechNews
Projecting a Robot's Intentions
Measurable virtual reality combines ceiling-mounted projectors with motion-capture technology and animation software to project a robot's intentions in real time...
From ACM TechNews
Fingertip Sensor Gives Robot nprecedented Dexterity
Researchers have developed a robot equipped with tactile sensors that enable it to grasp a USB cable draped over a hook and insert it into a USB port.
From ACM TechNews
Will Tomorrow's Robots Move Like Snakes?
Researchers have developed a soft robotic arm, inspired by octopus tentacles, that can snake through a pipelike environment without a human operator.
From ACM News
Origami Robot Folds Itself p, Crawls Away
For years, a team of researchers at MIT and Harvard University has been working on origami robots—reconfigurable robots that would be able to fold themselves into...
From ACM News
Think Fast, Robot
One of the reasons we don't yet have self-driving cars and mini-helicopters delivering online purchases is that autonomous vehicles tend not to perform well under...
From ACM News
Computer System Automatically Solves Word Problems
Researchers in MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, working with colleagues at the University of Washington, have developed a new computer...
From ACM TechNews
Computer System Automatically Solves Word Problems
A new computer system can automatically solve the type of word problems common in introductory algebra classes.
From ACM News
Orienteering For Robots
Suppose you're trying to navigate an unfamiliar section of a big city, and you’re using a particular cluster of skyscrapers as a reference point.
From ACM TechNews
Soft Robotic Fish Moves Like the Real Thing
Researchers say they have created a robotic fish that is the first self-contained autonomous soft robot capable of rapid body motion.
From ACM News
Soft Robotic Fish Moves Like the Real Thing
Soft robots—which don’t just have soft exteriors but are also powered by fluid flowing through flexible channels—have become a sufficiently popular research topic...
From ACM TechNews
Herding Robots
Researchers say they have developed a system that combines existing robotic control programs to enable multiagent systems to collaborate in complex ways.
From ACM News
Herding Robots
Writing a program to control a single autonomous robot navigating an uncertain environment with an erratic communication link is hard enough; write one for multiple...
From ACM News
Marvin Minsky Honored For Lifetime Achievements in Artificial Intelligence
MIT Media Lab professor emeritus Marvin Minsky, 86, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, has won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award...
From ACM TechNews
Never Forget a Face
A new algorithm makes subtle changes to various points on a face to make it more memorable without changing the subject's overall appearance.
From ACM TechNews
Better Robot Vision
Researchers have developed a robot-vision algorithm they say is 15 percent better than its best competitor at identifying familiar objects in cluttered scenes. ...
From ACM TechNews
Artificial-Intelligence Research Revives Its Old Ambitions
Artificial intelligence research has advanced significantly, but much work remains before computers can truly replicate or surpass human intelligence.
From ACM News
Artificial-Intelligence Research Revives Its Old Ambitions
The birth of artificial-intelligence research as an autonomous discipline is generally thought to have been the monthlong Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial...
From ACM TechNews
Automatically Grading Programming Homework
Researchers have created software that points out inaccuracies in student programming and offers suggestions for improvement.
From ACM TechNews
New Research Could Let Vehicles, Robots Collaborate with Humans
Researchers are developing robotic systems that can negotiate with people to determine the best way to achieve their goals.
From ACM News