IEEE Spectrum

The historical chatbot, ELIZA, has had its source code unearthed from the MIT archives. The therapist personality was just one of its personas, including one that could make passable small talk, and one that served as a tutor. ELIZA shows how rudimentary pattern matching with contextual memory can still generate distinct machine “personalities” and shape our feelings about chatbots. https://spectrum.ieee.org/eliza-chatbot-source-code?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

ENIAC, the first general-purpose digital computer, was created 80 years ago. The granddaughter of two of its creators remembers its history, tying together computing, weaving, weather, and storytelling. https://spectrum.ieee.org/eniac-80th-anniversary-weaving?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

In order to achieve a super-close flyby of an asteroid, Japanese engineers had to update the Hayabusa2 spacecraft mid-flight. This mission paves the way for future flybys that protect Earth from stray asteroids headed our way. https://spectrum.ieee.org/planetary-defense-jaxa-hyabusa2?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Optical communication protocols are mostly used in data centers for scale-out networks, connecting many computers across the facility. But soon it’ll be integrated into scale-up networks, connecting several GPUs inside one computer. The demands of connection are quickly surpassing what copper wiring can handle, making optical networks the next big push.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/nvlink-fusion-optics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Instead of stacking DRAM on top of each other, engineers are working on stacking them side by side, delivering better speed and memory results.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/stacking-chips-sideways?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

The same kind of memory that is used by SD cards and thumb drives is being used to create a new kind of high bandwidth memory chip, called High Bandwidth Flash (HBF). Sandisk expects HBF to stack up to 16 NAND flash chips for a total capacity of up to 512 GB per stack. https://spectrum.ieee.org/high-bandwidth-flash?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Large language model chatbots can struggle to deal with tabulated data. Many companies rely on large, connected spreadsheets for their data, so they need a more specialized model. Enter large tabular models. https://spectrum.ieee.org/large-tabular-models-nexus?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

A new quantum sensor can function like an “electromagnetic compass,” finding the direction of radio signals in 3D. https://spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-sensor-radio-signal-direction?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

This spinning drone is nearly transparent. Called the phantom twist, it's still loud, but it's quite hard to see with the human eye. https://spectrum.ieee.org/invisible-spinning-drone?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

AI data centers are moving to 800 VDC power systems to pack in more computing power with less heat, lighter cables, and fewer energy-wasting conversions. https://spectrum.ieee.org/800-vdc-for-data-centers?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, is getting a clean hydrogen microgrid to keep power during emergencies. This technology can be applied to other remote, isolated communities, reducing their reliance on carbon-emitting power. https://spectrum.ieee.org/puerto-rico-hydrogen-microgrid?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Scientists developed a way of analyzing the vibrations of existing fiber cables buried underground alongside railway tracks to successfully identify a number of issues associated with train safety, including faulty train wheels and broken sound barriers. https://spectrum.ieee.org/distributed-acoustic-sensing-trains-railways?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

What does a “smart” wheelchair actually mean? And is it what its users want? Two companies – Robooter and Strutt – are now shipping their wheelchairs to users. https://spectrum.ieee.org/smart-wheelchair-robooter-strutt-ev1?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Ukraine’s ground robots patrol, report, and fire weapons, all while evading Russian drones. 50,000 will be on the ground by the end of 2026. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ukraine-ground-drones?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Researchers have developed a prototype electronics-free smart contact lens that can track glaucoma in real time and deliver drugs in response. https://spectrum.ieee.org/smart-contact-lens-glaucoma-microfluidics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Malicious prompts can slow LLMs down considerably, creating security issues. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-reasoning-models-security-risk?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Applicants are using AI to assist with technical interviews, while companies are using AI to catch them. It’s a technological arms race in job applications, which is why it's still important to have a human weighing in. https://spectrum.ieee.org/technical-interview-ai-arms-race?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

#Meta has inked a deal to power data centers with energy beamed from space. The energy will come from Overview Energy's satellites, which will beam energy to Earth as near-infrared waves. So far, the startup has only demonstrated power beaming from a moving airplane:  https://spectrum.ieee.org/wireless-power-movin-airplane

Engineers have created a 1-square-millimeter chip that can project a photograph onto an area smaller than the size of two human egg cells. This precise laser control could have applications in augmented reality, biomedical imaging, and quantum computing. https://spectrum.ieee.org/mems-photonics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

A new class of quiet yet deadly software failure is coming from AI software. The system keeps running, everything looks normal, and no crashes occur. But its behavior slowly drifts away from what it was designed to do. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-reliability?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Stanford University’s AI Index is out for 2026, tracking trends and noble developments in artificial intelligence. This year, China has taken a notable lead in AI model releases and industrial robotics compared to previous years. AIs are rapidly reaching benchmarks and achieving high levels of compute, but public trust in AI and confidence in government regulation of AI is mixed. https://spectrum.ieee.org/state-of-ai-index-2026?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

In order to get efficient photonic devices, we need to manipulate light using only light, without electricity. Scientists have developed a new way of doing exactly that using very low light intensities and without changing any of the physical properties of their materials. https://spectrum.ieee.org/soft-photonics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Usually in wireless networking, communication is separate from computation. That’s not the case in over-the-air computation, where the network can carry some of the computing burden as conditions demand. https://spectrum.ieee.org/wireless-network-over-air-computation?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

This year, Apple turns 50. We’re all familiar wth its victories, but there’s something to be learned from the Apple products that time has forgotten. https://spectrum.ieee.org/apple-50th-anniversary?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

In response to Iran’s unprecedented, nationwide internet blackouts beginning in January 2026, NetFreedom Pioneers used its Toosheh system to secretly deliver news, tools, and educational content via ordinary satellite TV broadcasts to millions of people. https://spectrum.ieee.org/iran-internet-blackout-satellite-tv?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

The team at Google Quantum AI published a whitepaper showing that the size of a quantum computer that would pose a cryptographic threat is approximately twenty times smaller than previously thought. Those computers don't exist yet, but the need for post-quantum cryptography just got a whole lot stronger. https://spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-safe-crypto?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

University of Washington researchers have created VueBuds, a wearable device that adds a camera to your earbuds. Instead of glasses, earbuds are easy to remove when you want privacy and are less intrusive on your face. https://spectrum.ieee.org/smart-earbuds-smart-glasses-privacy?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

This March, A cyberattack on backend systems on a breathalyzer device prevented drivers across the U.S. from accessing their vehicles. A new problem is emerging in connected vehicles: Systems can fail and render perfectly functional vehicles useless. https://spectrum.ieee.org/connected-vehicle-risks?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot Spot is now equipped with Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6. This enables Spot to better process and react to its environment, making it ideal for inspection tasks. https://spectrum.ieee.org/boston-dynamics-spot-google-deepmind?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

One researcher’s experience coaxing multiple chatbots into explaining firebombs, poisons, and uranium enrichment—and then being ignored by vendors and even government agencies—underscores how unprepared our institutions are for real-world AI misuse. https://spectrum.ieee.org/jailbreaking-llms?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Seven states want to maintain access to the Colorado River, as it becomes precariously low. AI modelling has helped visualize and plan for different scenarios, but ultimately, humans will have to make the hard choices. https://spectrum.ieee.org/colorado-river-water-shortage?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Most people have never encountered robots that they can interact with in their lives. RAI Institute set up a pop-up experience in a mall where anyone could come and see their robots. Here’s what they learned. https://spectrum.ieee.org/boston-dynamics-spot-interaction?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Cryptographers create a browser extension password manager that only requires you to remember one password and stores none of your passwords, allowing you to log in to as many sites as you require. People reported feeling more secure and found the system easier to use. https://spectrum.ieee.org/storeless-password-manager?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

A new bioelectronic implant can support populations of three different drug-producing cells for more than a month, keeping them supplied with the correct amounts of oxygen. These cells could produce drugs to treat various cancers, autoimmune diseases like arthritis, and chronic conditions like asthma. https://spectrum.ieee.org/biologic-drugs-implant-bioelectronics-medicine?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

Engineers have created "neurobots": tiny, free-swimming assemblages of living cells that organize into self-directed systems, complete with neurons that wire themselves into functional circuits. https://spectrum.ieee.org/neurobot-living-robot-nervous-system?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline

More people have gone to space than have received advanced brain-computer interfaces. What is it actually like to live with one? 🧵
https://spectrum.ieee.org/bci-user-experience

Researchers report that bacterial infections could be diagnosed with sound, using a nanoscale drum kit. Different bacteria play different rhythms on the drum. https://spectrum.ieee.org/soundcell-nanodrums-identify-bacteria-sound?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fedica-Mastodon-Daily-Pipeline