Tuesday, February 27th 2007
Chinese scientists create RC pigeon
Scientists at Shandong university in east China succesfully implanted micro electrodes in a pigeons brain. The electrodes simulate specific parts of the brain forcing the pigeon to comply with the given commands.
The technology is being improved so it could be put to practical use in the future. The pigeon is the second succesful remote control animal since a similar experiment on mice in 2005.
Source:
XINHUA online
The technology is being improved so it could be put to practical use in the future. The pigeon is the second succesful remote control animal since a similar experiment on mice in 2005.
40 Comments on Chinese scientists create RC pigeon
With the rat they would control it and when they stopped and allowed the rat to do its own thing it was well confused.
Its still cool though. Also there is no contradiction here.
;)
Medical based use would be a fantastic idea and use. Hopefully the Americans or Brits or Germans could further this technology for good use one day soon.
Personally, I think this is pretty f'ed up. Combine this technology with cloning and where do you go? Remember that RC does not necessarily mean the animal objects can do anything useful... just "controlled" in some negative totalitarian way.
It's like a combination of Matrix and The Island and other sci-fi elements but with more ethical-horror. What the chinese and vietnamese do to Bears and Monkeys is bad enough. It can only get worse.
There only two viable uses I can see for this at the moment. The good one, involves helping people with certain disabilities and diseases. The bad one is easily Warfare and "body"control. Like mindcontrol, just you are controlling the body.
Good because they could make vicous animals tame and wouldn't have to put so many down. Good because it could lead to cureing brain damage and disease, possibly even paralysis.
Bad becase I really dont like the idea of a pigeon bomb, or my dog spying on me, or worse..... Like what they could do to humans.
Again, a technology that could be helpfull, but can also be weponised.