I’ve written another article for The Magazine, this time about the RoboRoach: Bug Testing — The Magazine
Whereas my first RoboRoach article, for the Ann Arbor Chronicle, was long and thorny and wrapped in the tangled ethics of doing unnecessary surgery on what are otherwise considered pests/pet-fodder, this article is much shorter, more readable, and focused on the tech itself, its DARPA roots, and girls in STEM. It starts like this:
We see only the hands of the bug surgeon, who uses Silly Putty to secure the roach to a cutting board, then perforates the thorax and inserts the first of three hair-thin silver electrodes. Following a break for another ice-water anesthetic, the hands cut down the antennae (which are hollow) and insert an electrode in each. The roach is periodically sponged off with a cotton swab; dabs of superglue secure each component.
This is not a low-fi sci-fi YouTube film, an art project, a political statement, or a prank. This is a RoboRoach, touted by its surgeon-creators as “the world’s first commercially available cyborg.” It’s a living, breathing, radio-controlled roach designed by Backyard Brains in a cramped suite of tatty second-floor offices next to a yoga studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And you can buy one, today, for yourself or your favorite precocious niece. . . .
The Magazine is only $2 per month (with two issues per month and full access to the archive–more than 30 issues, including another article from me, back in issue #9), and I believe you can have it for FREE for the first week.
I.e., even if you like the wherewithal for a decent cup of joe, you can still read this article–hell, read all the articles you want for the next seven days. This particular issue has a great piece on marathons, heart attacks and caffeine, and The Magazine ran a great series on drones back in issue #13.
If you’re digging this sort of tight, tech-ish, medium-length journalism–real journalism, where real writers actually do real research and are then held accountable by real editors with real editorial chops–consider backing The Magazine: The Book (Year One) on Kickstarter. You’ll be helping to fight the Good Fight, I’ll get a reprint fee (yeah!), and the premiums are pretty damn rad (esp. the $15 level–which is a great deal on a year’s subscription to The Magazine–and the $50, which gets you both the 200+page hardcover book and a year’s subscription).