Scientists gloat over pigeon remote
By George Gardner
Chinese scientists from the Robot Engineering Technology Research Centre at Shandong University of Science and Technology have managed to control the flight of pigeons using small electrodes set in their brain.
After having similar success with mice in 2005, the centre’s chief scientist, Su Xuecheng, decided to improve on it and “migrate” the device to pigeons.
Using a remote control in combination with the electrodes, scientists were able to command the pigeons to fly left, right, up, or down. Su and his team unfortunately were not able to add a “reverse” function to their device.
“It’s the first such successful experiment on a pigeon in the world,” Xinhua news agency quoted Su Xuecheng, as saying, “The implants stimulate different areas of the pigeon’s brain according to signals sent by the scientists via computer and force the bird to comply with their commands.”
Su and his colleagues are hoping their device will one day be put into practical use; although, the report didn’t hint as to what uses could be dubbed “practical.”
There have been no reports as to what would happen if the pigeon was flown out of the remote’s range; however, if you use your device on a homing pigeon, you will certainly not have to repurchase those expensive electrodes.
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Stumble It!
February 27th, 2007
I wonder if that is what scientists originally intended with using the homing pigeon; now if only we could install high-powered cameras in their eyes, we could save millions on those unmanned reconnaissance planes!
February 27th, 2007
I just hope that these RoboPigeons will be used for good, not evil
February 27th, 2007
You could mount a camera on them and land on the window ledge of any high security installation and spy remotely. Also a terrorist could mount explosives on them and also fly them into high security areas and remotely detonate them.
March 1st, 2007
Like most scientists, these guys have no morals about eating, slaughtering or operating on defenceless creatures – I just wish some aliens would land on this Earth (preferably in their back yard) and start inserting electrical probes into their brains in the name of material, mechanistic science. We would then have walking, talking, robot scientists – now that would be interesting!
March 1st, 2007
Yes, good point Jonathan. We are, in no way, promoting the practice of testing on animals, even if such a solution could help us as humans.
March 3rd, 2008
if they can do it to pigeons, they can do it to people