Welcome to the June 2021 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.

Microchip Inserted in the Brain Turns Thoughts into Text
The Daily Mail (U.K.)
Jonathan Chadwick
May 12, 2021

A brain-computer interface (BCI) from scientists in the BrainGate consortium can convert attempted handwriting movements from the user's thoughts into onscreen text in real time. Stanford University's Frank Willett said, "This new system uses both the rich neural activity recorded by intracortical electrodes and the power of language models that, when applied to the neurally decoded letters, can create rapid and accurate text." A 65-year-old paralyzed man used the BCI in a clinical trial to write text on a computer screen by imagining handwriting movements. Said Stanford's Jaimie Henderson, "The goal is to restore the ability to communicate by text."

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Tesla Drivers Test Autopilot's Limits, Attracting Audiences—and Safety Concerns
The Wall Street Journal
Katherine Bindley; Rebecca Elliott
May 20, 2021

Tesla drivers are pushing the envelope of the automaker's Autopilot driver-assistance system, posting online videos of them testing the technology's upper limits, and raising safety concerns. Autopilot is engineered to ease hands-on driving and improve safety by helping with tasks like steering and keeping proper distance from others on the road. Yet inconsistent messaging, such as a 2018 "60 Minutes" segment featuring CEO Elon Musk driving a Tesla hands-free, appears to have inspired drivers to override safety features. Tesla vehicles are designed to track force applied to the steering wheel to guarantee driver engagement, but some people have found ways to deceive Autopilot, like attaching a weighted chain to the wheel. Others are selling tools to bypass safety features, or consulting on how to use or not use these systems.

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An Employee Chatbot Is Helping Workers with Relatives in India's COVID Surge
CNBC
Susan Caminiti
May 13, 2021

Employees at global professional services firm Genpact are helping those with relatives in India during the COVID-19 surge by using the company's artificial intelligence-powered interactive chatbot, Amber. Genpact's Sanjay Srivastava said, "They wanted to make sure they were contributing to a fund to directly help their colleagues there. Amber made that clear to us." The chatbot also determined that although employees were concerned about colleagues, family, and friends catching the virus, they were more worried about finding available hospital beds, doctors, and other resources should something happen. Amber "asks" employees questions to gauge their sentiments in real time, and it supports a continuity of dialogue that cannot be replicated in an employee survey.

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Smartwatches Can Predict Your Blood Test Results, Study Finds
Gizmodo
Victoria Song
May 27, 2021

A study conducted by researchers at Duke University and the Stanford University School of Medicine demonstrated the ability of machine learning-equipped smartwatches to predict the wearer's blood test results. The researchers monitored 54 patients for more than three years using an Intel Basis smartwatch that quantified heart rate, step count, skin temperature, and electrodermal activity. Although wearables can compile a wealth of data, much of it lacks sufficient specificity to precisely predict red or white blood cell count. Still, Duke's Jessilyn Dunn said smartwatches and similar wearables, unlike single measurements in clinics, can track circadian variations in heart rate and body temperature over prolonged periods, "and identify when there is variation from that natural baseline."

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Futuristic Computer Game Hopes to Be Tonic for Climate Change Anxiety
Reuters
Kim Harrisberg
May 10, 2021

An online game developed by the U.S.-based National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center encourages players to think about climate change and what they can do about it. Scientists, economists, and writers from all over the world contributed to "Survive the Century," which game creator Samantha Beckbessinger said she developed "to engage [members of Generation Z] with a sense of hopefulness that the future is long and there are a lot of choices ahead of us." The game takes players through scientifically-based decision-making scenarios, including vaccine rollouts and funding technological advances that can support order or anarchy; players are directed to a climate organization near them at the game's conclusion. Said Beckbessinger, "Play can be an incredibly powerful way to engage people and it isn't didactic, it doesn't aim to tell you facts and things to do, it lets you play and explore."

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Young Teens Should Only Use Recreational Internet, Video Games for 1 Hour Daily
Rutgers Today
May 24, 2021

A study by researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick found middle-school students who engaged in recreational use of the Internet, social media, or video games for over an hour per day during the school week had significantly lower grades and test scores. The researchers, who followed about 10,000 first-year middle-school students that were part of the China Educational Panel Survey, found that those who used interactive technology for entertainment for four or more hours per day were four times more likely to skip school, while children who used interactive technology less than one hour per day on weekends were less bored at school. The study concludes that parents should consider time limits on their children’s interactive technology use and help foster time management and self-regulation skills.

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Pandemic-Driven Telehealth Proves Popular at Safety Net Health System
University of California, San Francisco News
Laura Kurtzman
May 10, 2021

A team led by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found a high level of support for the use of telehealth for outpatient primary care and specialty care visits among clinicians in the San Francisco Health Network (SFHN). The survey showed that more than 90% of clinicians plan to continue caring for patients via phone and video post-pandemic, despite nearly 60% of respondents expressing concerns about the diagnostic safety of providing services over the phone, and 35% expressing such concerns about providing services via video. UCSF's Dr. Anjana Sharma said, "We do believe that video visits are higher quality and are probably safer for patients."

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AI Learns to Type on a Phone Like Humans
Aalto University (Finland)
May 12, 2021

The first artificial intelligence (AI) model capable of predicting how people move their eyes and fingers while typing has been designed by researchers at Finland's Aalto University and the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence. The model uses reinforcement learning to simulate how a person would type any sentence on any keyboard configuration by making, detecting, and correcting errors. The AI model also can account for different types of users, like those with motor impairments, and could be applied to develop typing aids or interfaces for such groups. Aalto's Jussi Jokinen said, "Now that we have a realistic simulation of how humans type on touchscreens, it should be a lot easier to optimize keyboard designs for better typing—meaning less errors, faster typing, and, most importantly for me, less frustration."

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Bracelets Help Restaurant Workers Show They Got Their COVID-19 Vaccine
CNN
Rachel Trent
May 5, 2021

Staff at Philadelphia restaurant El Merkury are wearing blue silicone ImmunaBand bracelets to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccinations. El Merkury owner Sofia Deleon hopes the move will make customers feel safe when eating at her restaurant. Wearers must upload their vaccination cards before receiving the bracelet, which features a QR code that can be scanned by a smartphone to display proof of vaccination. ImmunaBand stores vaccine documentation on a server that complies with medical privacy laws and uses end-to-end encryption for security. Two bands are available, one with only the QR code and another with the QR code, the wearer's name, and the type of vaccine they received. ImmunaBand's Tashof Bernton said, "It's a way of saying, 'Look, I'm safe,' and try to deescalate some of the tension and fear that people feel after about a year in lockdown."

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Using Apple's Night Shift to Improve Your Sleep? Don't Bother
Ars Technica
Samuel Axon
May 5, 2021

A study conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) concluded that Apple's blue-light-emitting Night Shift iPhone feature did not help people sleep better. The BYU team evaluated the sleep quality of 167 young adults, each of whom wore a wrist accelerometer before sleep. Participants were randomly assigned to not use their iPhones, use their iPhones without Night Shift enabled, or with the feature enabled. The researchers observed no significant differences in sleep outcomes across the three cohorts, undermining the assumption that features like Night Shift can ameliorate the negative effects of smartphone use on sleep.

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Did You Get Enough Steps in Today? Maybe One Day You'll Ask Your 'Smart' Shirt.
The Washington Post
Dalvin Brown
May 3, 2021

A patented, machine-washable "smart fabric" developed by startup Nextiles features built-in circuitry that could capture biometric data. The firm's approach involves coating commonly available, machine-washable fibers with a conductive material like stainless steel, turning the fibers into cables that can transmit signals. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Yoel Fink said, "Just imagine all the biochemicals that come out of you and get released into your clothes. Today, all of that stuff gets erased in the washing machine. But at some point, your fabric could learn, listen to subtle changes, and alert you to go to the doctor for a checkup."

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Research Reveals Negative Effects of Hotel App Adoption on Customer Spending
UMD Right Now
Greg Muraski
May 13, 2021

Research by P.K. Kannan at the University of Maryland, College Park's Robert H. Smith School of Business and Indiana University's Xian Gu associated higher hotel app adoption with less spending by lower-level loyalty customers. The researchers analyzed shifts in customer spending over various channels after a user downloads a major hotel chain's app. Via a regression model, they compared spending of customers who adopted the app at a specific point in time with that of controls who had not adopted the app then. Those who downloaded the app from one hotel chain were more likely to have downloaded apps from others, and more likely to shop for the best rates and deals, rather than staying loyal to a single brand. Said Kannan, "Because of the highly competitive nature of the industry, people become more shoppers as opposed to loyal customers due to the ease of mobile shopping."

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