Project Pigeon
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During World War II,Project Pigeon(laterProject Orcon,for "organic control" ) was AmericanbehavioristB. F. Skinner's attempt to develop apigeon-controlledguided bomb.[1]
Overview
[edit]Thetestbedwas the sameNational Bureau of Standards-developed, unpoweredairframethat was later used for theUS Navy'sradar-guided"Bat" glide bomb,which was basically a small glider, with wings and tail surfaces, an explosive warhead section in the center, and a "guidance section" in the nose cone. The intent was to train pigeons to act as "pilots" for the device, using their cognitive abilities to recognize the target. The guidance system consisted of three lenses mounted in the nose of the vehicle, which projected an image of the target on a screen mounted in a small compartment inside the nose cone. This screen was mounted on pivots and fitted with sensors that measured any angular movement. One to three pigeons, trained byoperant conditioningto recognize the target, were stationed in front of the screen; when they saw the target, they would peck at the screen with their beaks. They were trained by being shown an image of the target and gradually more and more rapid pecks were required for a grain of food. One bird pecked more than 10,000 times in 45 minutes (Note 2/20/89 BFSkinner Foundation and author's collection.) U[2]As long as the target remained in the center of the screen, the screen would not move, but if the bomb began to go off track, the image would move towards the edge of the screen. The pigeons would follow the image, pecking at it, which would move the screen on its pivots. In the case where two possible targets were on the screen, Skinner noted that at least two of the birds would be in agreement and the third would be "punished for his minority opinion" to encourage it to steer towards the target preferred by the majority of the pigeons.[3]
The sensors would detect the movement and send signals to the control surfaces, which would steer the bomb in the direction the screen had moved. As the bomb swung back towards the target, the pigeons would again follow the image, bringing the screen back to the centered position again. In that way, the pigeons would correct any deviations in the course and keep the bomb on its glide path.
Early electronic guidance systems use similar methods, only with electronic signals and processors replacing the birds in detecting the target and preventing deviation from the glide path.
TheNational Defense Research Committeesaw the idea to use pigeons in glide bombs as very eccentric and impractical, but still contributed $25,000 to the research. Skinner, who had some success with the training, complained: "our problem was no one would take us seriously".[4]The program was canceled on 8 October 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 briefly revived by the Navy in 1948 as "Project Orcon," but it was again cancelled in 1953 when the reliability ofelectronic guidance systemswas proven.
Skinnerwas awarded the 2024Ig Nobel Peace Prizefor his work on the project; his daughterJulie Vargas,who received the award in his stead, is quoted as saying, "I want to thank you for finally acknowledging his most important contribution. People know him only for discoveringoperant conditioning,schedules of reinforcement,and for books likeWalden Two,Verbal Behavior,Beyond Freedom D,and more. Even the B.F. Skinner Foundation fails to put a missile on its hat, so thank you for finally putting the record straight. "[5]
See also
[edit]- Animal-borne bomb attacks
- Anti-tank dog
- Bat bomb(incendiary ordnance)
- Ethology
- Military animals
- Pigeon intelligence
- War pigeon
References
[edit]- ^ "Top secret weapons revealed".Military Channel.14 August 2012.
- ^"Nose Cone, Pigeon-Guided Missile".National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2008.Retrieved10 June2008.
- ^Skinner (1960),p. 31.
- ^ "Skinner's Utopia: Panacea, or Path to Hell?".TIME Magazine.20 September 1971.
- ^"The 34th First Annual Ig Nobel Ceremony".improbable.com.13 September 2024.Retrieved13 September2024.
- Cardinal, Colton Coy (2010).Cumulative Record.Peace River, Alberta: Appleton-Century-Crofts.ISBN978-0-87411-969-5.
- Glines, C. V. (May 2005)."Top Secret World War II Bat and Bird Bomber Program".Aviation History.Vol. 15, no. 5. pp. 38–44.
- Skinner, B. F. (1960)."Pigeons in a pelican"(PDF).American Psychologist.15(1): 28–37.doi:10.1037/h0045345.ISSN1935-990X.S2CID19945465.Archived from the original on 31 December 2010.Retrieved7 September2023.
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