Project Pigeon/Project Orcon

[Triton]

Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon, for "organic control") was American behaviorist B. F. Skinner's attempt to develop a pigeon-guided missile during World War II.

From Wikipedia:

The control system involved a lens at the front of the missile projecting an image of the target to a screen inside, while a pigeon trained (by operant conditioning) to recognize the target pecked at it. As long as the pecks remained in the center of the screen, the missile would fly straight, but pecks off-center would cause the screen to tilt, which would then, via a connection to the missile's flight controls, cause the missile to change course.

Although skeptical of the idea, the National Defense Research Committee nevertheless contributed $25,000 to the research. However, Skinner's plans to use pigeons in Pelican missiles was considered too eccentric and impractical; although he had some success with the training, he could not get his idea taken seriously. The program was canceled on October 8, 1944, because the military believed that "further prosecution of this project would seriously delay others which in the minds of the Division have more immediate promise of combat application."

Project Pigeon was revived by the Navy in 1948 as "Project Orcon"; it was canceled in 1953 when electronic guidance systems' reliability was proven.

For more information see:

C.V. Glines: "Top Secret WWII Bat and Bird Bomber Program", Aviation History, May 2005, Vol. 15 Issue 5, p38-44
URL: http://www.historynet.com/top-secret-wwii-bat-and-bird-bomber-program.htm

Source:
http://xplanes.tumblr.com/page/58
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon

 

[J.A.W.]

Curiously enough this 'Skinner box' missile guidance scheme was discussed in reasonable detail on the BBC 'QI'(quirky info) TV show shown locally last night, - as a sophisticated example of animals being utilized in weapons systems.

& host Stephen Fry - duly claimed that it was "successfully tested, but not used in actual combat"..

 

[RP1]

Funnily enough, I was only reading this paper yesterday:


"Pigeons in a Pelican", by BF Skinner


http://www1.appstate.edu/~kms/classes/psy3202/Documents/Skinner1960.pdf


RP1

 

[Jemiba]

Plenty of stuff about it on the net !

http://www.military-history.org/articles/pigeon-guided-missiles.htm
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/bf-skinners-pigeon-guided-rocket-53443995/?no-ist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIbZB6rNLZ4

 

[Michel Van]

Incendiary Bomb using Bats

Chicken heated Nuclear bomb

Pigeon guided bomb

Military Dolphins

Bionic Cat

what next ?

 

[Jemiba]

The way war horses were used wasn't satisfying animal welfare either and
not even Hannibals war elephants were just taken on a pleasure trip !
In the legislation of most countries still today animals are just things.

 

[J.A.W.]

The QI TV show discussed the Romans using incendiary pigs to counter Hannibal's war elephants..
& the Soviet use of dogs trained to carry anti-tank mines under German tanks ( back-fired when they ran under T-34s).

Ironically perhaps, Adolf Hitler instituted progressive prevention of animal cruelty laws in the `30s..