In ancient Greece, pigeons were known to deliver updates on the Olympic games and were used for message delivery during the First World War. In British Columbia, some pigeons have been involved in smuggling drugs into prisons. Now, researchers in Vancouver have tasked pigeons with aiding in the design of more intelligent drones.
A study led by the University of British Columbia, detailed in Current Biology, involved fitting homing pigeons with miniature backpacks containing a small computer and head-mounted cameras to observe their eye movements during flight. The system, weighing approximately 27 grams, included a compact computer, a modified commercial camera, and sensors to track the birds’ movements and orientation.
Anthony Lapsansky, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC and the lead researcher, mentioned the intricate process of outfitting the pigeons with the equipment, which required considerable effort and experimentation. Lapsansky, who has experience as a falconer, crafted various sizes of falconry hoods to secure the cameras on the pigeons’ heads and designed backpacks for the additional equipment.
The researchers worked with a group of around 16 pigeons, releasing them along a familiar route, allowing them to return to their home loft after the flight so the recorded footage could be retrieved.
The study revealed that pigeons engage in subtle eye movements during flight, potentially enhancing their spatial awareness. The findings challenge the assumption that pigeons maintain fixed eye positions while in flight. Another study from the California Institute of Technology, however, suggested that pigeons predominantly keep their eyes steady during flight, especially in crowded environments.
The research indicates that drones could benefit from more agile cameras that mimic the eye movements of pigeons. By incorporating a similar approach of actively moving cameras to gather more environmental data, engineers could enhance the functionality of autonomous drones. David Bird, an expert in wildlife biology from McGill University, emphasized the potential of advanced cameras in improving drone capabilities for various applications, such as wildlife observation.
The study sheds light on how observing pigeon behavior could inspire advancements in drone technology and underscores the importance of adaptive visual systems for aerial navigation.
[Source: CBC News]
