Welcome to the August 2019 SIGCHI edition of ACM TechNews.

ACM TechNews - SIGCHI Edition is a sponsored special edition of the ACM TechNews news-briefing service focused on issues in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This service serves as a resource for ACM-SIGCHI Members to keep abreast of the latest news in areas related to HCI and is distributed to all ACM SIGCHI members the first Tuesday of every month. ACM TechNews is a benefit of ACM membership and is distributed three times per week on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays to over 100,000 ACM members from over 100 countries around the world. ACM TechNews provides timely coverage of established and emerging areas of computer science, the latest trends in information technology, and related science, society, and technology news. For more information on ACM TechNews and joining the ACM, please click. The Interactions mobile app is available for free on iOS, Android, and Kindle platforms. Download it today and flip through the full-color magazine pages on your tablet or view it in a simplified low-bandwidth text mode on your phone. And be sure to check out the Interactions website, where you can access current and past articles and read the latest entries in our ever-expanding collection of blogs.

Google Glass May Have an Afterlife as a Device to Teach Autistic Children
The New York Times
Cade Metz
July 18, 2019

Researchers at Stanford University have found that Google Glass can be used to help children on the autism spectrum better understand emotions and engage with other people in more direct ways. In addition, the device could be used to measure changes in behavior, something that has historically been difficult to achieve. The Stanford researchers developed software that can automatically analyze facial expressions and keep track of when someone recognized an emotion and when they did not. In a clinical trial conducted over two years with 71 children, the researchers found that children who used the software in their homes showed a significant gain on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, a standard tool for tracking the behavior of those with autism. The gains were in line with improvements by children who received therapy in dedicated clinics through more traditional methods.

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Are High-Tech Cars Too Distracting for Older Drivers?
NBC News
Mary Pflum
July 25, 2019

A new study suggests the smart options and entertainment systems with which new cars increasingly are loaded may be too distracting to drivers, especially older adults. A car safety study conducted by researchers from the University of Utah on behalf of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that older drivers may find smart features more distracting and demanding than younger drivers do. The study consisted of a road test given to participants in two separate groups—a group with drivers aged 21-36 and a group with drivers aged 55-75. Each participant drove a 2018 car featuring a number of smart technologies, and was instructed to send a text message, program music, program a navigation system, and place a telephone call using the car's smart features. The results indicated that older drivers experienced greater cognitive and visual demand than younger drivers when trying to complete these tasks.

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Machine Lullaby Shows Tech in Bed Can Help You Rest
RMIT News
Michael Quin
July 16, 2019

Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia developed an interactive bed and ambient music system that also provides kaleidoscopic visuals controlled by the users with their own brainwaves via electroencephalogram. Each person's brain activity generates unique imagery, as each brain frequency is assigned a different color and brainwave intensity tied to movement. The researchers assessed the Inter-Dream system for inducing pre-sleep states and general mental well-being, and found the technology can aid in rest and relaxation. Study participants reported a 21% drop in general negative emotion and a 55% drop in feelings of fear after using Inter-Dream, while general positive emotions increased by 8% and feelings of serenity increased by 13%. Said RMIT researcher Fabio Zambetta, "Our findings are really significant in pointing a possible way forward using neurofeedback technology to facilitate restfulness and sleep onset."

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A Translator for Baby Cries? Yes, Please
Smithsonian
Emily Matchar
July 1, 2019

Northern Illinois University researchers have developed a "cry language recognition algorithm" that can detect and identify the features of babies' cries to help identify them as expressions of pain or discomfort. The researchers trained the algorithm on recordings of baby cries taken from a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. The system uses compressed sensing—a process that reconstructs a signal based on incomplete data—to identify sounds taking place in noisy environments. For example, the algorithm can identify a baby cry against a background of adult speech, loud television sounds, or babbling toddlers. The algorithm classifies different cry features, such as pitch, and suggests whether the cry is due to sickness or pain, as well as identifying the degree of urgency. The researchers found that "uncommon cry signals" usually associated with pain or sickness are often very high-pitched and very loud compared to ordinary crying.

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Elon Musk's Neuralink Shows Off Advances to Brain-Computer Interface
The Wall Street Journal
Daniela Hernandez; Heather Mack
July 17, 2019

Researchers at Neuralink, the neuroscience startup founded by Elon Musk, are developing a next-generation brain-computer interface. The researchers have tested the device on monkeys, and found them able to control a computer with their brains, according to Musk. The company has also shown that the system can monitor brain activity and then decode it, meaning it is possible to correlate certain patterns of brain activity to actions such as movement, vision, or speech. Neuralink is one of several companies trying to build neural interfaces for clinical and nonclinical applications, attempting to access as many neurons as possible to give scientists more precise reads on activity that underpins specific brain functions. Researchers could then turn neural recordings into electrical signals that can be fed into a robotic device, or back into the nervous system to produce movement or vision.

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How Do Distance Learners Connect?
Penn State News
Jessica Hallman
July 19, 2019

Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) researchers have found that computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments could help students identify characteristics and life experiences in common with peers. The researchers enlisted more than 400 Penn State World Campus students to join an online community created via the Slack Workspace, then created a chatbot to prompt discussion topics and enable user connections. The chatbot asked users to publicly share responses to questions, such as their place of origin and fun facts about each other. The researchers learned that students felt a much stronger level of community using the CSCL, versus participants who did not employ the platform. The researchers also observed the formation of early, lightweight connections through shared social identity, and of certain peer connections via steps that learners follow to vet and invite collaborators.

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UCI Computer Scientists Make Art Come Alive at Venice Biennale
The Los Angeles Times
Lilly Nguyen
July 3, 2019

Three art installations showcased at Italy's latest Venice Biennale were produced by computer scientists at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), in collaboration with Israeli-Romanian artist Belu-Simion Fainaru. Two installations are interactive "talking-head" composites of historical figures—Romanian Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu and Jewish-Romanian poet Paul Celan—which employ artificial intelligence to interpret and respond to visitors' questions. The third installation is a plastic "Talking Plant," programmed to recite Celan's poetry when cameras interpret and localize physical touch by visitors. UCI's Alexandru Nicolau said the plant is designed to provoke an emotional response by producing angry vocalizations.

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Wristband May Give Wearer Feedback on Moods
Reuters
Linda Carroll
July 3, 2019

Researchers at Lancaster University in the U.K. have developed an experimental smart-fabric wristband which may eventually be able to provide real-time insight on wearers' emotions. The thermochromic wristband changes color, pressure, or temperature in response to fluctuating arousal levels that trigger shifts in skin conductivity, and flags possible mood swings. Said Lancaster's Muhammad Umair, "With relatively low costs, we can support people [becoming] more emotionally aware." Umair added that the devices have standard skin-conductance-measuring biosensors combined with actuators, "to provide a visual or tactile representation of the measured arousal." The wristbands distinguish between high- and low-intensity emotions, rather than between positive and negative emotions.

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Patients in the U.K. Using Amazon's Tech for Aches, Pains
CNBC
Anmar Frangoul
July 10, 2019

The U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) has partnered with Amazon to provide patients "reliable health information" via voice-assisted technology. Authorities said the technology would allow users to "get professional, NHS-verified health information in seconds," via simple voice commands. An algorithm will access data from the NHS website to answer questions such as, "Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?" The Royal College of General Practitioners' Helen Stokes-Lampard said voice-assisted solutions had "the potential to help some patients work out what kind of care they need before considering whether to seek face-to-face medical help."

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Robots Are Teaching Language Skills, But Are They Any Good?
Education Week
Rick Hess
July 8, 2019

A team of researchers at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands has found that social robots, which are specifically designed to interact and communicate with people, have two significant advantages over other forms of education technology. First, social robots allow learners to interact with a real-life environment (rather than just a computer screen); and second, they allow for more natural interaction than other forms of technology because robots are often humanoid or in the shape of an animal. The researchers found that in terms of word learning, children may learn equally well when being taught by a robot or a human teacher. Furthermore, robots appear to have a consistent impact on student "engagement, attitude, and motivation.” Finally, the researchers saw mixed results for robots teaching reading, grammar, and speech.

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Could Computers, Crafts Help Preserve the Aging Brain?
U.S. News & World Report
Steven Reinberg
July 10, 2019

A Mayo Clinic study suggested working on a computer and other activities that engage the brain could help stave off age-related memory loss. Over five years, the Mayo Clinic researchers tracked 2,000 men and women with an average age of 78 who did not have mild cognitive impairment. These subjects periodically underwent thinking and memory tests. Participants who used a computer during middle age reduced their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment by 48%, and by 30% when using a computer past age 66. Computer use in middle and old age also cut the risk of thinking and memory difficulties by 37%.

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