Science & Technology

Russia creates bio-drone 'spy pigeons' with computer chips

By T.K. Randall
December 6, 2025 ·  5 comments

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) A new type of drone - one made of flesh and blood as oppose to metal and plastic - has been the subject of a disturbing new experiment at state-linked Moscow neurotechnology firm Neiry.

By implanting neural chips inside the brains of pigeons, boffins have succeeded in creating a flock of birds that can be remotely controlled, thus enabling their flight routes to be directed from afar.

Each bird is equipped with a tiny solar-powered backpack that tracks them and receives the signals.

According to the firm, any bird can potentially be fitted with the same technology.

Because the animals can cover hundreds of miles a day, the goal of the work is to enable birds to act as remote-controlled biological reconnaissance drones."For transporting heavier payloads, we plan to use ravens, for coastal monitoring - seagulls, and for large marine territories - albatrosses," said company founder Alexander Panov.

The implications of this are concerning, as larger birds could even be equipped with small explosive payloads and potentially used to fly into and blow up enemy targets on the battlefield.

As if regular drones weren't enough of a problem in Ukraine - imagine the difficulty in defending a position against flocks of explosive birds descending on you from the sky.

Could this be the next evolution in warfare ?

Only time will tell.

Source: Metro | Comments (5)

Tags: Pigeon, Russia