Welcome to the May 13, 2024 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• Tech Giants Treat Southeast Asia Like Next Big Thing
• Team in Japan Uses Supercomputer to Develop LLM
• Robot Sommeliers, Baristas Go to Work in Labor-Starved South Korea
• Blurred Lasers Make for Better 3D Printed Optics
• Tiny Sample of Human Brain Reveals 57,000 Cells, 150 Million Neural Connections
• Shadow Hand Withstands the Rigors of AI Research
• Smarter Vehicles Could Mean Changes to Traffic Lights
• Ball-Balancing Robot Assists Wheelchair Users
• Pentagon Teams with SpaceX to Block Russia from Using Starlink
• Will Chatbots Eat India’s IT Industry?
• Swarm of Snail Robots Stick Together

Tech Giants Treat Southeast Asia Like Next Big Thing

Southeast Asia is drawing more tech investment than ever. As China turns more hostile to U.S. firms and India remains tougher to navigate politically, tech companies are focusing on business-friendly regimes in Southeast Asia. As the advent of AI is spurring tech leaders to pursue new sources of growth, the world’s biggest companies are set to spend up to US$60 billion on datacenters over the next few years to meet the demands of Southeast Asia’s young population.
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Team in Japan Uses Supercomputer to Develop LLM

A team of researchers in Japan developed a large language model (LLM) using the Japanese supercomputer Fugaku jointly developed by Fujitsu and research institute Riken. Trained extensively on data in Japanese, the Fugaku-LLM model is expected to lead to research on generative AI tailored to domestic needs.
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Robot Sommeliers, Baristas Go to Work in Labor-Starved South Korea

The South Korean government hopes to tackle the country's labor shortage with the help of robotics. At a March robot expo in Seoul, Hanwha Group unit Hanwha Robotics showcased a robot arm programmed to decant wine like a human sommelier, while in April, Doosan Robotics began testing a barista robot that can pour 80 cups of coffee an hour and make latte art.
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Blurred Lasers Make for Better 3D Printed Optics

National Research Council of Canada researchers demonstrated that blurring a 3D printer's laser can improve the quality and printing time of 3D-printed optics. They found that 3D-printed optical components can be produced using blurred tomography in as little as 30 minutes, creating smooth surfaces comparable in quality to commercially available optics. Researchers manufactured a basic plano-convex lens using the new method and achieved a point spread function nearly identical to that of a glass lens.
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Tiny Sample of Human Brain Reveals 57,000 Cells, 150 Million Neural Connections

An analysis of electron microscope images of more than 5,000 slices of a cubic-millimeter sample of human brain tissue by Harvard University and Google researchers found 57,000 individual cells, 150 million neural connections, and 23 centimeters of blood vessels. A machine-learning algorithm was used to map the paths of neurons and other cells through each section, a process that would have taken researchers years to complete. Harvard's Jeff Lichtman said, "We found many things in this dataset that are not in the textbooks."
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Shadow Hand Withstands the Rigors of AI Research

The Shadow Hand, built by U.K.-based Shadow Robot for Google DeepMind, was designed to withstand the rigors of AI research. The three-fingered Hand includes easily swappable fingers and can withstand being struck by a hammer. The kinematics of each finger, containing 155 individual sensor channels and video from the distal tactile sensor, are similar to those of a human finger, with an ad-abduction joint at the base, and three flex/extend joints along its length.
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Smarter Vehicles Could Mean Changes to Traffic Lights

The advent of connected and automated vehicles could bring major changes to traditional traffic signals. North Carolina State University's Ali Hajbabaie, for example, suggests adding a fourth light to indicate when there are enough autonomous vehicles on the road to take charge and lead the way. A pilot program by University of Michigan researchers in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham found that adjusting the timing of traffic lights by just a few seconds reduced congestion.
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Ball-Balancing Robot Assists Wheelchair Users

A "ballbot" developed by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researchers is as effective as a human in pushing a wheelchair. CMU's Cunxi Dai said the ballbot, which balances on a ball that serves as a spherical wheel, "has smooth motions that are energy efficient, and the fact that it can balance allows it to exert more force to push a heavy system and maneuver [with] more agility."
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Pentagon Teams with SpaceX to Block Russia from Using Starlink

Pentagon officials working with SpaceX have blocked the Russian military’s unauthorized use of Starlink Internet terminals on the battlefield in its war with Ukraine, according to John Plumb at the U.S. Department of Defense. Starlink terminals are advertised for sale in Russia, but connections only work near border regions such as Ukraine’s occupied territories. “At this time we have successfully countered Russian use, but I am certain Russia will continue to try and find ways to exploit Starlink and other commercial communications systems,” said Plumb.
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Will Chatbots Eat India’s IT Industry?

A paper last year by Alexander Copestake of the IMF and colleagues identified “near-exponential growth” in demand for AI-related skills in India’s service sector since 2016, yet there are concerns that generative AI technology could erode India's tech industry. Seven of India's IT companies collectively laid off 75,000 employees last year, equivalent to about 4% of their combined workforce. The companies say that reflects the broader slowdown in the tech sector.
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Swarm of Snail Robots Stick Together

A robot swarm developed by Chinese University of Hong Kong researchers can navigate difficult terrain individually and connect to one another to move like a tank or bulldozer. The snail-inspired robots feature a retractable suction cup and tank-like treads. Tests showed they could create staircases to clear ledges, build bridges to cross gaps, and arrange themselves into an elongated robotic arm.
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