Scientists remotely control pigeons
Chinese succeed in implanting brain electrodes to influence flight
BEIJING - Chinese scientists have succeeded in implanting electrodes in the brain of a pigeon to remotely control the bird's flight, state media said.
Xinhua News Agency said the scientists at the Robot Engineering Technology Research Center at Shandong University of Science and Technology in eastern China used the 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.
Brain implants are not new science. A friend of mine had implants at UP Med Cntr. to control a hand tremor he had had since childhood. It got much worse as he got older. The implant along with a magnetic switch to turn it on/off. worked like a charm, no more shakes when it is on.
The Dolphins are being used to find/detect mines on the ocean floor. They can also plant charges to disable/destroy the mines. 15-20 years ago they trained them to plant bombs on enemy shipping. The harpoon ship/ship missle made this unnessary.
Who's laughing now?
