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Bird-brained Chinese scientists learn to fly pigeons

This is where you can discuss your homework, family, just about anything, make strange sounds and otherwise discuss things which are really not related to the Lancer-series. Yes that means you can discuss other games.

Post Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:57 pm

Bird-brained Chinese scientists learn to fly pigeons

Bird-brained Chinese scientists learn to fly pigeons

Tue Feb 27, 7:52 AM ET

BEIJING (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 ther 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 centre'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.

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:09 am

and the million dollar question is why? why waste time on controlling pigions flying find a cure for cancer .

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:30 am

Maybe they want to teach the pidgens to stay off their statues.

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:39 am

didnt they all ready do that? like with a squirrel or something?

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:51 am

With a Bee I believe, and if I remember, a cockroach?

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:33 pm

Think about the military applications here. If you could control thousands of birds, strap little bombs to them and make them fly wherever you wanted; through windows, into vent ducts, etc.

The US military had a somewhat similair idea during WWII in which they strapped tiny inciendary bombs to bats and planned to release them over Japanese cities. It never saw action because someone saw fit to use the most devistating weapon known to man first.

However, if this were successfully utilized, just think about the kind of damage it could do.

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:40 pm

Forget bombs! Havent you seen the movie 'core'? Just fly them en masse at a target. eventually the wall of feathers should do somthing .

Post Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:30 pm

it's significant when you think of how an ROV is limited by batteries, its obviously mechanical nature (see ornithopters) and non-stealthy nature, and its lack of intelligence, eg most programmable logic controls are not as sophisticated as a bird brain *doh* - consider also that your surveilance capability is no longer limited to line of sight with satellites and open wifi networks everywhere

chinese spying? sci-fi for sure

Post Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:11 pm

Well I've seen The Core, which from a scientific standpoint is the most laughable and ridiculous movie ever made.

And yeah... when I was coming up with that I guess I overlooked a couple of obvious things. (I'm famous for that in real life.)

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