ACM has named computer science pioneer Charles P. Thacker the recipient of the 2009 A.M. Turing Award for his many contributions, which includes the Alto, a machine developed more than 30 years ago at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) that is often credited as the world’s first personal computer. Thacker says the inspiration for the Alto came from PARC manager Bob Taylor’s vision of computers as machines capable of transforming documents and other communications media. He says innovations such as dynamic random access memory chips enabled the PARC team to outfit the Alto with bit-mapped computer displays. ACM also cites Thacker’s contributions to the invention of Ethernet and his work on tablet-style computers since becoming a researcher at Microsoft in the 1990s. Thacker “is a real genius,” says former PARC researcher and fellow A.M. Turing Award winner Alan Kay. “We don’t like to sling that word around in our field, but he is one. He is magic.”
View Full Article
For More Information Visit: http://www.cpccci.com

European researchers from the Milepost project used machine-language technology to develop a method for automatically optimizing software compilers for re-configurable embedded processors. The technology can learn how to get the best performance from the hardware, which enables the software to run faster and use less energy. The system learns to predict the optimal compiler solution for any program by analyzing the execution time of different compiler options. “If you can run things faster and more energy efficiently, you may be able to choose a different piece of hardware than before–perhaps a cheaper option for the same performance,” says University of Edinburgh professor and Milepost project coordinator Michael O’Boyle. The Milepost team also launched a code-tuning Web site. Developers can upload their software code to the site and receive input on how to manipulate their code so it works faster. “We can use machine-learning technologies to look at multicore and heterogeneous platforms and we will be looking at dynamic online adaptation,” O’Boyle says.
View Full Article
For More Information Visit: http://www.cpccci.com

Tokyo University researchers have created Kojiro, a humanoid robot that is learning to mimic how people walk. Kojiro has a skeletal structure similar to that of humans, which allows it to move in a more natural way, as it can bend and twist by bending and twisting using its artificial spine. The spine’s design will enable scientists to develop lighter and more flexible robots in the future, says Tokyo professor and Kojiro researcher Yuto Nakanishi. Kojiro uses lightweight motors to pull cables attached to specific locations on the body, which simulates how muscles and tendons contract and relax when people move. Kojiro has 60 degrees of free movement using a system of about 100 cable-tendons. Sensors are used to keep track of Kojiro’s various positions, and an accelerometer and two gyroscopes help the robot maintain balance. The researchers say more work is needed on the algorithms that control the robot’s movements to enable it to handle complex actions.
View Full Article
For More Information Visit: http://www.cpccci.com

Microsoft researchers have developed Sensecam, a system for creating digital archives of a person’s experiences that could help people suffering from memory disorders. Sensecam features a small black box containing a digital camera and an accelerometer to measure movement. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers had one subject go on three excursions with a Sensecam, a voice recorder, and a global positioning system (GPS) unit. The researchers found that the best way to help the subject remember the experiences was to focus on a few key images that might unlock the memories related to it. For a location-based experience, Sensecam uses data provided by the GPS and the accelerometer to determine which images might be the most salient. “The design is intended to give the patient the ability to engage actively with the experience instead of simply flipping through some pictures,” says CMU’s Matthew Lee. At Dublin City University, Alan Smeaton compares Sensecam images to categorize them by activity. At the University of Toronto, Ronald Baecker is studying the usefulness of complementing Sensecam images with an audio narrative created by a loved one.
View Full Article
For More Information Visit: http://www.cpccci.com