Last week, I discussed the artificial birds which the government uses to control migration patterns. I also posted a video showing the differences between real birds and their man-made counterparts. But I'm hearing a lot of complaints from folks who are still having trouble making the distinction. Of course, correctly identifying robot birds from a distance takes a lot of familiarity and even more practice. Nobody said it would be easy, folks!So let me show you an easier way to get a look up-close at these technological marvels while helping your community at the same time. There's a lot of information to absorb, so I'm going to break it into several parts.As I said, spotting a robot bird while it's up and about is no easy trick. When all is well, they do everything in their power to blend in to their natural surroundings. But when something goes wrong, fallen birds send a very faint distress signal, which, given the proper equipment, we can use to track them down.Since 1973, the U.S. government has deployed over 400 million robotic birds. While many of these birds are still in service today, over 10 million are unaccounted for. Chances are, you've got at least one in your yard. Searching for these derelict birds will not only bring you face to face with the latest and greatest in cybernetic technology, but will help your community. These robotic friends play an important role in ecology, law enforcement, and protecting our homeland security. And they're not cheap! So after you've had your fun, do the right thing and turn your specimen over to a government certified technician who can get your feathered companion up and flying ASAP. In some cases, the government has reportedly given monetary rewards for birds returned in exceptional condition although official reward amounts have remained undisclosed.Coming Up: How to build your own birdfinder for under 50 bucks.

Labels: birds, robot birds, robots, video