During World War II, Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon, for "organic control") was American behaviorist B. F. Skinner 's attempt to develop a pigeon -controlled guided bomb. [1]

Aug 25, 2018 · The nose cone was to be used on a glide bomb named PELICAN. The screen was fitted with sensors which measure angular movement, and the pigeons were trained to peck their beaks on the image of the target.

Aug 29, 2017 · For his pigeon idea, Skinner designed a harness that would hold a pigeon’s body and wings while allowing its head and neck to move freely. The pigeons were then given a pellet of grain when they pecked at an image of a ship or building placed in front of them.

Oct 12, 2023 · Pigeons were no strangers to human warfare. In World War I thousands were used to carry messages to and from the front lines. They were used for this purpose in World War II as well, with both sides also using falcons to capture the other side's pigeons (via National D …

Aug 18, 2011 · It’s 1943, and America desperately needs a way to reliably bomb targets in Nazi Germany. What do we do? For B.F. Skinner, noted psychologist and inventor, the answer was obvious: pigeons....

Jan 5, 2022 · American behaviorist B.F. Skinner's contribution to develop an organically-controlled guided bomb sits high in the roster of inventive wartime hires, when he took three birds and turned them into...

Sep 2, 2023 · Project Pigeon revolved around a pigeon-sized cockpit Skinner dubbed the "Pelican" that sat at the front of the missile.

Nov 10, 2010 · His idea sounded simple: he would train pigeons to guide the missiles, tapping a target on a screen with their beaks to control the direction. The nose cone of the missile would be split into three compartments, with a lens projecting …

Project Pigeon might sound like a joke, even after learning about it, but it was a real thing and a successful project by many standards. Though war pigeons are no longer in existence, in emergency cases, pigeons can be used to send missiles to the enemy.

Jul 19, 2023 · Thanks to renowned psychologist B.F. Skinner and a popular cereal company, pigeons were trained, equipped, and ready to fly kamikaze missions during World War II.