Pigeon project
During the Second world war, the “Project Pigeon” ( Project Pigeon ) was a project of the American Psychologue Burrhus F. Skinner the purpose of which was to develop a Missile directed by one or more pigeon (S).
The device rested on a optical Lentille which projected an image of the target on a screen placed at before and inside the missile. A Pigeon involved thanks to the principle of the operative Conditionnement recognized the target on the screen and owed the picorer. As long as it gave blows of nozzle to the center of the target, the missile preserved a rectilinear trajectory. If the pigeon picorait at side, that meant that the missile deviated of its trajectory. The control system then rectified the direction according to the choice of the pigeon. Three pigeons were supposed to be inside the missile, the system using the rule of the majority between the three pigeons to decide the most adequate direction.
The National Defense Research Committee , in spite of its skepticism, contributed to height of 25 000 US dollars for research but the idea was, in the final analysis, too radical for the soldiers. Skinner was unaware of also the existence of secret projects on the Radar, a new technology which made its invention obsolete.
Before that, the pigeons of the First World War and those used for several centuries had known various military uses. Certain armies still raise pigeons, to use them in the event of conflict, absence or of shortage of electricity for example.
Other animals were also drawn up with fine soldiers, as of the Dauphin S for the search for underwater mines within the framework of the Programme of Marine mammals of the U.S. Navy.
Internal bonds
- Pigeon
- Program of Marine mammals of the U.S. Navy
External bonds
- http://www.asofyet.org/muppet/other/insanities/project_pigeon.html
- http://www.bfskinner.org/bio.asp
- the Gate French-speaking Pigeon fancier