March 1, 2007: Remotely controlled dove
 

http://cellar.org/2007/pigeoncontroller.jpg

20minutos.es has this one in their daily gallery. It's Shandong University in Qingdao, China, and they say they've worked out how to place electrodes in the dove's brain such that they can direct where it flies.

Dove? Or pigeon?

Anyway, I sort of doubt it. The decisions on where and how to fly roll through the bird's brain really fast. They may be able to tell it to turn left one time, lowering its left wing or whatever, but they surely can't direct it as if with a joystick or Wii controller.

The picture is striking, because it looks like these guys are just rudely cutting into the bird's skull, inserting their controller, and then covering the whole wound up with a hot glue gun. (It's probably not actually glue, but still.) It just doesn't seem like there would be enough bogus science involved to justify hurting the animal.

http://cellar.org/2007/pigeoncontroller2.jpg

This was in the Metro yesterday, but without such a graphic picture.
I thought at the time that it sounded grim.
That's definitely a pigeon in my book.

the Chinese definitely need a PETA chapter.

dove == pigeon == flying rat.

All the same, eek!

This is so chinese.

It really is.

"We need mind control! I dont care if you have to open-air the brain, do it!"

I can understand the use of animals in some experiments for medical research but only if there is no other alternative.
This just seems needlessly cruel. I hope every bird in China craps on the researcher's heads and then pecks their eyes out.

Oh, the fun I'll have with this...!

bird crap on a treadmill...
 

:mad: Wacky f'in Asians.

My partner is terrified of birds. I *need* to get my hands on one of these things.

No more sleeping on the couch for me, once I set my pigeon to "eye-pecking" mode :D

That picture kind of reminds me of how lobster tails are served.

Cockroaches of the Sea. Filthy.

Why don't we chop a hole in some Chinese person's head, implant a chip, apply some sticky holding substance, so we can see WHAT THE F*** POSSESSES THEM TO DO SUCH STUPID THINGS?

I second that.

I wonder if the missile defense system will pick it up?