Remote Control Pigeons

[BlackKnight]

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- Scientists in eastern China say they have succeeded in controlling the flight of pigeons with micro electrodes planted in their brains, state media reported on Tuesday.

 

Scientists at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Centre at Shandong University of Science and Technology said their electrodes could command them to fly right or left or up or down, Xinhua news agency said.

 

"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," Xinhua said.

 

"It's the first such successful experiment on a pigeon in the world," Xinhua quoted the center's chief scientist, Su Xuecheng, as saying.

 

Su and his colleagues, who Xinhua said had had similar success with mice in 2005, were improving the devices used in the experiment and hoped that the technology could be put into practical use in future.

 

The report did not specify what practical uses the scientists saw for the remote-controlled pigeons.

 

Check it.

 

Pigeons have a rather low-tech looking clamp (assuming these pics are not photoshopped) attached to their brain to allow scientists to control their flight, make them eat.. etc etc. Only in China.

 

An abomination of science? Authentic even? You decide.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2007 by DragonKeeper

[Mooney]

What is the real purpose behind this?

 

BWAHAHA! Now we can remotely control rats with wings to POOP on our enemies! BWAHAHAHA!

[Rag]

Whatever happened to good old fashioned animal training?

[olaf]

I, for one, welcome our new remotely controlled pigeon overlords.

[Smilee]

I wonder of the durability of these things.

[Robert]

All we need is to fit cameras, and we have a new type of spy.

[gymnist1026]

In the United States, similar work on animals has been of interest to the military. For example, the pigeon news follows the equally amusing animal tale about the Pentagon's attempts at creating remote controlled shark spies. Like the Chinese pigeon experiment, the sharks had brain implants used to control their movements.

 

But don't hold your breath waiting for animal spies to roam the world anytime soon. One of the most infamous would-be animal espionage projects, dubbed Acoustic Kitty, dates back to the 1960s, when the CIA wired a furry feline to eavesdrop. On its trial run, the cat was run over by a car.

 

I found this in another article. I like the part about the cat spy...

[Mooney]

In the United States, similar work on animals has been of interest to the military. For example, the pigeon news follows the equally amusing animal tale about the Pentagon's attempts at creating remote controlled shark spies. Like the Chinese pigeon experiment, the sharks had brain implants used to control their movements.

 

But don't hold your breath waiting for animal spies to roam the world anytime soon. One of the most infamous would-be animal espionage projects, dubbed Acoustic Kitty, dates back to the 1960s, when the CIA wired a furry feline to eavesdrop. On its trial run, the cat was run over by a car.

 

I found this in another article. I like the part about the cat spy...

SHARKS WITH FRICKIN' LAZOR BEAMS ON IN THEIR HEADS!

[Rag]

I feel kinda bad about enslaving animals...

[Lucandrake]

So ugg, anyone up for tanking elephants?

[Rag]

So ugg, anyone up for tanking elephants?

 

I feel bad about enslaving animals but that would be #&@($in awesome.