China's radio-controlled pigeons

Chinese scientists have successfully implanted electrodes in the brain of a pigeon to guide the bird's flight by remote control, state media said.


Xinhua News Agency said scientists at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Center at Shandong University of Science and Technology in eastern China used micro electrodes to command the bird to fly right or left, and up or down.

The implants stimulated different areas of the pigeon's brain according to electronic signals sent by the scientists via computer, mirroring natural signals generated by the brain, Xinhua quoted chief scientist Su Xuecheng as saying.

It was the first such successful experiment on a pigeon in the world, said Su, who conducted a similar successful experiment on mice in 2005. (Source)

China's CCTV also covered this story in its news program. The following is the video clip. Please click to start.