# Robot pigeons??



## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Saw this in this week's Racing Pigeon Newsletter. What the crap!? 


_*Robo-pigeon: the pigeon that flies wherever you fancy *
Daily Mail 

' Nature equipped pigeons with the perfect on-board computer. But homing instinct is no match for technology. 

Scientists have used microchips to force pigeons to ignore their inbuilt radars and fly straight up, straight down, left and right. 

They claim to have created the world's first remote- control pigeons, saying they can control the birds' minds at the click of a button. 

In tests likely to ruffle feathers among pigeon fanciers, scientists implanted microchip receivers into the pigeons' brains. 

By sending electronic impulse signals from a computer on the ground, they were able to plot a course and force the pigeons to fly in a chosen direction. 

This overrode the birds' natural instinct to fly in a circular route. "It's the first such successful experiment on a pigeon in the world," said chief scientist Professor Su Xuecheng, at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Centre at Shandong University of Science and Technology in China. 

"Via a computer, we forced the bird to comply with our commands," he said. 

Professor Su and his colleagues claimed to have had similar results with mice in 2005, and had since been improving the devices used in the experiment. It has long been believed that homing pigeons lose their sense of direction during an electrical storm. 

Professor Su and his team carefully studied the effects of the weather on pigeons to devise their computer implant. 

"We hope the technology could be put into practical use in future," said Professor Su. 

Exactly what practical use remains a mystery. Thought control, with its Orwellian overtones, is a sensitive issue, even if limited to pigeons and mice. 

The fact that the birds have been developed in China, with its history of oppressing free thinkers, will not be lost on some in scientific circles. Scientific-achievement aside, remotecontrol pigeons would certainly take the fun and skill out of breeding top- class homing pigeons for Britain's thousands of fanciers. 

They will be certain to cause a flap among members of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, which boasts the Queen as patron. 

Professor's Su's findings were announced on the day China's state scientific and technological award for 2006 was presented in Beijing. 

Chinese president Hu Jintao awarded scientist Li Zhensheng for his achievements in developing drought-resistant wheat. 

Professor Su's remote control pigeons didn't get a mention.'_


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

And what exactly is the purpose of this?
Wonder what's coming next.

Reti


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## randymcone (Nov 19, 2008)

I wonder if we can do this with elected officials?


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## birds+me=happy (May 21, 2009)

Now thats just wierd. I hope it's not true and that we never figure out how to control any living organism's mind.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I know  Nothing good can come of things like this!


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## Tennman1 (Mar 31, 2009)

That same reaction can be reproduced in politicians. They can be controlled by money and votes to do anything.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Thought Control*



Reti said:


> And what exactly is the purpose of this?
> Wonder what's coming next.
> 
> Reti


*THOUGHT CONTROL of people* ..........GEORGE


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## Tamara21 (Jun 24, 2009)

That's insane! Seriously...why is something like this needed...certianly there is no benefit to be had...it's just abuse to me.


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

this is insane people! why, exactly do we need to control a pigeon? what if the pigeon runs straight into disaster? if it can't control where it flies than HOW in this world are they going to be able to avoid danger?!?! this is just madness!!!!


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

These people get paid for this. There was also an experiment with a glow in the dark cat. Can't remember what they injected the cat with.

Once they get the kinks out and get the monkey under control we are next.


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

i know they get paid for it but why do they come up with such *clears throat* STUPID INVENTIONS?!?!? being able to control a pigeon for some may be cool, but for us pigeon LOVERS its just plain *retarded*!!!


controling mice however..... well just saying they are hard to catch.


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## lindylou (Jul 25, 2009)

*robot pigeons??*

Sadly, like most governments, democratic or otherwise, there are a certain number of these type of scientists employed with the aim of developing incidious weapons that can be used in war, and I am sure any animal they can control, prehaps arm with some type of explosive device, would have much appeal to the "war mongers" who are ruling, especially in a communist country where human and animal rights are not high on their list of priorities. It is very scary, but is a sign of the times in which we live, unfortunately. If they experiment further and find it feasible to use the pigeon in such a way, they will.


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## keystonepaul (Sep 7, 2009)

I don't think it's good for the pigeon but I can see the technology being used to operate artifical limbs, perhaps.


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

it is, or a similar technology is used for robot prosthetics for people as far as i know.


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## hasseian_313 (Oct 31, 2009)

wow sounds dum maybe they want this to spy on citzens n stuff like thairs millons of wild pigeons o\in the street spy stuff would only resonable


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

I want a Robot Scientist with a chip in their brain...and the little hand held control-thing, like for RC Airplanes.


I could just have him or her walk into a wall over and over till I got bored!!


I will write Santa right now on this...


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

This really puts off some alarms for me. 

Jeez, the more technology advances, the more I feel like I'm being paranoid about this crap. I guess not, since it looks like they're already at thought control.


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## GEMcC5150 (Oct 24, 2010)

Research is just research...... But the fast straight race course could change racing forever. Just a thought. Then we would have to have bird check for bugs and I’m not talking about mites.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

It doesent sound much like total control, or in fact very scientific. 
More like a sort of "electronic blinding". 
All animals will try to get away from danger. 
If the electronic signal is sensed by the brain as coming from all around apart from forward, so it will in fact fly straight. 
Or if its brain is detecting the electronic impulses or interference from the left it will fly right, much the same way as "blinkers" are used on horses so they dont see things to the side and therefore travel forward (or whichever way their head is pointed by the rider)
If it did encounter any predators that would also play a part and interfere with its direction as the pigeon would still see the predator and would act to avoid accordingly.

There is in fact a number of good uses that this could be used for, such as urgently getting small quantities of drugs to some inured person in a remote area that would otherwise be inaccessable to as quickly.
But like everyone I would have my doubts about the actual uses they would use it for.



starlinglover95 said:


> a similar technology is used for robot prosthetics for people as far as i know.


The diference with people is the electronic impulses from the brain are used to control the computer that is connected to the artificial limb, not the other way round.
From way back in the 1930's - 1960's a similar idea was used on humans, where electric convulsive therapy (ECT) was applied to certain parts of the brain to "treat" depression and mental dissorders.



pdpbison said:


> I want a Robot Scientist with a chip in their brain...and the little hand held control-thing, like for RC Airplanes.
> I could just have him or her walk into a wall over and over till I got bored!!


LOL The governments already have them, working on how to control pigeons


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## Cyreen (Jun 6, 2010)

MaryOfExeter said:


> Thought control, with its Orwellian overtones, is a sensitive issue, even if limited to pigeons and mice.
> 
> The fact that the birds have been developed in China, with its history of oppressing free thinkers, will not be lost on some in scientific circles.[/I]


Well, isn't that horrific.


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

Reti said:


> And what exactly is the purpose of this?
> Wonder what's coming next.
> 
> Reti


Maybe to give peregrine falcons indigestion.!!!


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## davea0511 (Apr 14, 2011)

Quasar is somewhat correct ... kind of like putting blinders on a horse - that's not thought control. Sometimes we give scientistific knowledge too much credit - if there's an easy way to do it (like fooling one's senses to get them to respond in a certain way) that's the way it will be done.

I think it in fact, that besides requiring surgery, the actual control doesn't seem as inhumane as say whiping a horse to make it go because it's not scaring the bird to go left or right, but rather it fools the homing instinct. No question that it is manipulation though ... and a homing instinct exists because the bird is satisfied when it get's home - so it's inhumane in that way. Ethically, it seems that if they are rewarded for following that instict though that it's more like dangling a carrot than whipping them, scaring them, or putting blinders on them.

But the surgery ... that's what I find particularly bothersome. If they could do it without implanting anything into their brain, and allow the pigeon to keep and use their normal homing instincts then and reward good behavior and generally provide them with a life as good or better than they'd otherwise have - well if I were a pigeon I'd say that sounds like a pretty good life.

Chances are though that it would not be used that way, and the most likely use is for military surveillance (and yes, ultimately Big Brother stuff, but it would go military first). You can be sure none of this would be done above the board either for obvious reasons, which is a shame because that way it could be monitored and done as I mentioned above.

But this is not even close to mind control, it's body control - manipulation just the same (which is bad if bad husbandry is used - whipping instead of carrot dangling), but it's not like they're giving them drugs and altering their cognitive sense of direction, only their physical sense of direction.


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## atvracinjason (Mar 4, 2010)

Remote Control Pigeons thats as crazy as sharks with frickin laser beams on thier heads!!


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

atvracinjason said:


> Remote Control Pigeons thats as crazy as sharks with frickin laser beams on thier heads!!


But is it any less cool?


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

That really did ruffle my feathers....


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

I see it as a step into the future .. if they could control a stroke victims brain after they lose control and help them walk again .. idk I see the good and the bad .. I feel a new law in the mix ..


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## Pigeonfriends (Jan 19, 2012)

could be used to cure Parkinson disease actually.


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