Welcome to the December 27, 2023 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week.
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Seeking a Big Edge in AI, South Korean Firms Think Smaller
The New York Times
John Yoon
December 20, 2023
South Korean firms are taking advantage of AI's adaptability to create systems from the ground up to address local needs. Some have trained AI models with sets of data rich in Korean language and culture, while others are building AI for Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian audiences. Some companies are eyeing customers in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines, and in industries like medicine and pharmacy, fueling hopes that AI can become more diverse, work in more languages, be customized to more cultures, and be developed by more countries.
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VR Gives a Boost to the 'Lazy Eye'
NPR
Anna Marie Yanny
December 26, 2023
In an effort to to treat amblyopia, or lazy eye, researchers and companies are turning to virtual reality (VR) to encourage both eyes to work together during treatment. Boston Children’s Hospital innovation partner Luminopia, for example, has children watch videos through a VR headset, which blocks out certain parts of the display for each eye. "So the patients actually have to combine input from the two images to get the full video," explains Luminopia CEO Scott Xiao. Participants begin to see better on eye chart assessments after three months of one-hour sessions done six days a week, a company trial showed.
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Researchers Mold Model for More Nimble Networks
Cornell Chronicle
Louis DiPietro
December 20, 2023
A programmable network model developed by scholars from Cornell University and the Open University of the Netherlands offers the ability to customize packet scheduling. Building off a packet-scheduling method first introduced by MIT and Stanford researchers in 2016, the team’s model, when installed in new network switches, would grant network administrators the option to alter the switch’s inner packet-scheduling software however they like.
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Skin-Integrated Haptics
Tom's Hardware
Christopher Harper
December 23, 2023
New "skin-integrated interfaces" for haptic feedback were developed by researchers from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and colleagues in mainland China. At the core of the technology is a "multimodal haptic patch," which uses a combination of temperature control, mechanical deformation, and electrotactile feedback to provide sensory data directly to the user. "This interface selectively stimulates different receptors, thereby reproducing tactile sensations that correspond to various textures," said CityU's Ya Huang.
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SMuRFs Deployed for Nuclear Plant Cleanup
Interesting Engineering
Sejal Sharma
December 22, 2023
Autonomous robots designed to assist in decommissioning nuclear power stations have been developed by scientists in the U.K. Each Symbiotic Multi-Robot Fleet (SMuRF) unit has its own unique abilities and limitations: Some are four-legged or on four wheels while others are airborne. Their collaborative abilities stem from a cyber-physical system capable of real-time communication with up to 1,600 sensors and robots. In a demonstration at a simulated radioactive storage facility, the robots worked together and used their special sensors to create a 3D digital map of the area.
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China Unveils New Limits on Online Video Games
The New York Times
John Liu
December 22, 2023
Chinese regulators announced new restrictions on online video games, aimed at tightening the management of the industry and protecting the country’s minors. The draft rules call for spending limits for users on game platforms and prohibit minors from tipping video game live streamers. They also attempt to lessen the incentives for players to keep coming back by banning game companies from offering rewards for daily log-ins. Additionally, the rules would require computer servers and other equipment used by game companies to be located within China.
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Self-Driving Vehicles Finding a Home in Industrial Operations
The Wall Street Journal
Paul Berger
December 22, 2023
The technology behind self-driving vehicles is gaining traction within the supply chain. Autonomous heavy-duty trucks, for example, are already at work at freight yards and warehouses, while at seaports, autonomous guided vehicles ferry shipping containers across docks in California. At the most advanced facility, Long Beach Container Terminal, some vehicles drive themselves to a nearby building where automated machinery switches out their battery packs so they can quickly return to work.
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India Boosts AI in Weather Forecasts
Reuters
Kanjyik Ghosh
December 22, 2023
India is exploring the further use of AI to build climate models to improve weather forecasting as extreme weather events proliferate across the country. The India Meteorological Department provides forecasts based on mathematical models using supercomputers. Using AI with an expanded observation network could help generate higher-quality forecast data at lower cost.
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Computer Science Education Growing in Alberta High Schools
CBC News (Canada)
Madeleine Cummings
December 22, 2023
More high school students in Alberta, Canada, have been taking computer science (CS) courses, according to researchers at the University of Alberta (UofA). The researchers examined the records of more than 36,000 high school students who took CS courses between 2009 and 2019 and found the subject area had an annual average growth rate of more than 30%. The study also found that CS education has been growing at similar rates for male and female students, but classes continue to be dominated by male students.
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Chatty Robot Helps Seniors Fight Loneliness
Associated Press
Terry Spencer
December 22, 2023
ElliQ is billed by its makers as a robot specifically designed to alleviate the loneliness and isolation experienced by the elderly. Created by Israel-based Intuition Robotics, the device looks like a small table lamp, with an eyeless, mouthless head that lights up and swivels. It remembers users' interests and their conversations, helping tailor future chats. On an accompanying video screen, it provides tours of cities and museums. The device leads exercises, asks about the owner’s health, and reminds users to take medications and drink water.
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Raphael Masterpiece Is Not Quite What It Seems
CNN
Jack Guy
December 21, 2023
A team led by scientists from England’s University of Bradford used an algorithm to determine that the face of Joseph in the “Madonna della Rosa” (“Madonna of the Rose”), a 500-year-old painting by Italian artist Raphael, was painted by someone else. The algorithm, capable of recognizing genuine Raphael paintings with 98% accuracy, analyzes 4,000 parameters to determine authenticity.
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NASA Flies Drones Autonomously for Air Taxi Research
NASA
December 21, 2023
Part of efforts to advance self-flying capabilities for air taxis, researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center flew multiple drones beyond visual line of sight with no visual observer. The drones’ software performed airspace communications, flight path management, avoidance with other vehicles, and other tasks needed to operate in an advanced air mobility environment, where drones and air taxis will routinely operate at the same time. The drones successfully and autonomously flew around obstacles and each other during takeoff, along a planned route, and upon landing.
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Mental Images Extracted from Human Brain Activity
Interesting Engineering
Sejal Sharma
December 18, 2023
"Brain decoding" technology leveraging AI can translate human brain activity into mental images of objects and landscapes, say Japanese researchers led by a team from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and Osaka University. The approach produced vivid depictions, such as a distinct leopard with discernible features (ears, mouth, and spots), and objects such as an airplane with red-wing lights. The researchers exposed participants to about 1,200 images and then analyzed and quantified the correlation between their brain signals and the visual stimuli using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This mapping was then used to train a generative AI to decipher and replicate the mental imagery derived from brain activity.
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