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 News
A Computer Made From DNA Can Compute the Square Root of 900
A computer made from strands of DNA in a test tube can calculate the square root of numbers up to 900.
From ACM TechNews
Turn Any Object Into a Robot Using This Program and a 3D Printer
Researchers created a program to render household items into hand-activated robots using a three-dimensional (3D) printer.
From ACM TechNews
Swarms of Golf Ball-Sized Robots Could Detect Leaks in the Sewers
Researchers have developed golf ball-sized robots designed to collect data as they float through pipes.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Arm Lets You Remotely Lend Friends Helping Hand with Repairs
Researchers at the University of Bristol in the U.K. have developed a handheld robot for remote assistance with repairs.
From ACM TechNews
Fast Swimming Fish Robot Could Perform Underwater Surveillance
University of Virginia researchers have built a fish-inspired robot that can swim as fast as actual fish, and faster than similar robots.
From ACM TechNews
AIs That Deblur Faces Could Make People on CCTV Easier to Identify
A new artificial intelligence system can automatically deblur photographs of people's faces.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Pilot That Can Grab the Controls Gets Its License
The ROBOpilot Unmanned Aircraft Conversion System passed the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Practical Test for piloting light aircraft and completed...
From ACM TechNews
Smartphone App Can Detect Tiny Amounts of Norovirus in Water
A new smartphone app can detect extremely small amounts of norovirus (the most common cause of gastroenteritis) in water, when used with a microscope attachment...
From ACM TechNews
Drones Could Herd Rhinos From Poaching Hotspots
Researchers in the .K. found that drones and siren sounds were most effective in getting endangered southern white rhinos to leave poaching hotspots in national...
From ACM TechNews
Creating an AI can be 5x Worse for the Planet than a Car
The training of a single artificial intelligence program can require as much as 284 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or about five times the lifetime emissions...
From ACM TechNews
Robots Conduct Daily Health Inspections of Schoolchildren in China
More than 2,000 preschools in China are using a robot to check the health status of students each day before they enter the classroom.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Tube for Surgery Autonomously Navigates Inside a Beating Heart
Harvard Medical School researchers have developed a robotic catheter that can autonomously navigate inside a beating heart.
From ACM TechNews
AI That Spots Inequality Could Monitor Living Conditions in Cities
Researchers have trained an artificial intelligence to detect inequalities in four U.K. cities using a combination of government statistics and images from Google...
From ACM TechNews
3D Facial Analysis Could Help Identify Children with Rare Conditions
A new tool can identify subtle but important differences in facial geometry, allowing medical professionals to more quickly diagnose rare medical conditions in...
From ACM TechNews
Robot Discovers Lying About a Betrayal Helps Rebuild Trust
Researchers have shown that it is relatively easy for robots to regain the trust of humans after lying to them.
From ACM TechNews
Driverless Car Learns to Perform High-Speed Turns Without Crashing
Researchers at Stanford University have created a system that allowed an autonomous car to learn to make high-speed turns without spinning out.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Swarm Inspired by Cells Can Keep Moving Even if Its Parts Fail
Researchers created a swarm of disc-shaped robots inspired by living cells, that can join together, squeeze through gaps, and keep moving even if many of its parts...
From ACM TechNews
Mind-Controlled Robot Lets You Weld Metal Without sing Your Hands
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed a robot that can follow mental instructions from its operator to weld metal.
From ACM TechNews
Self-Taught Robot Figures Out What It Looks Like, What It Can Do
Columbia University researchers have developed a robot that learns what it looks like without any outside help.
From ACM News