[title size=”2″]Project Pigeon (Orcon)[/title]

This silent video shows the project Skinner worked on during World War Two. The problem was that before radar, pilots trying to hit enemy ships flew so close that they were often shot down. Skinner realized he could teach pigeons to guide missiles. Pigeons were trained to peck an image that would look like a ship as a missile approached. Pecks on the ship would steer the missile towards the ship. This video shows training the bird to peck a moving target and then at the end, the bird pecking at the ship. Copyright B. F. Skinner Foundation.

B. F. Skinner wrote about his work during World War Two and about the Orcon Project. Download the article here: Pigeons in a Pelican.pdf.