©Tim Mossholder via Unsplash
The line between biology and technology is becoming increasingly thin. In Russia, the startup Neiry Group has launched an experiment that aims to transform pigeons into biodrones equipped with brain chips and electronic devices that can direct their flight. The company suggests that the project could open up new possibilities in environmental monitoring, rescue operations and industrial inspections, but raises scientific and ethical questions that are hard to ignore.
The program, called PJN-1 , has already completed an initial testing phase under real conditions. Birds are equipped with electrodes implanted in their brains, connected to a small technological backpack containing a controller, solar panels, GPS and a video camera. Through light electrical stimulation of specific brain regions, the system causes the animal to favor certain directions while leaving it free to exhibit natural behavior. Neiry claims that this combination allows the biodrones to cover distances of up to 400 kilometers per day without stopping, surpassing the autonomy limits of traditional drones.
From research to field trials
According to the company, tests are being conducted in Russia and other Commonwealth countries to assess the devices' flight stability, range, data transmission quality and endurance. The goal is to deploy biodrones in contexts where mechanical aircraft experience operational difficulties, such as monitoring remote areas, inspecting extensive infrastructure and search and rescue missions in hostile environments.
In their press release issued in December, Neiry states that the system is "ready for real-world use" and that there are interested markets in countries such as Brazil and India, and especially in the agriculture, energy and civil defense sectors. (...)
The scientific nodes
Similar experiments conducted on birds and other animals in the past have shown that neural stimulation allows, at best, coarse orientation without guaranteeing accurate maneuvering or dynamic adaptation to environmental conditions. In the absence of publicly available data on error rates, navigation accuracy and operational stability, it remains difficult to assess the extent to which biodrones can truly compete with conventional drones, which offer greater predictability and control.
Ethical dilemmas
Beyond the technical aspects, the project raises profound ethical questions. The use of animals as technological media has been criticized by many bioethicists, who speak of extreme instrumentalization of living things and of an increasingly fragile line between experimentation and exploitation. Neiry argues that the pigeons are cared for by operators and that cameras installed on the biodrones filter out identifiable details to comply with privacy regulations, but these arrangements do not seem sufficient to dispel doubts.
(©Startup Neiry via GreenMe.it 2026/Managing Editor: Julie Morgan - The Press Junction/Picture: ©picture alliance / Photoshot | -)