A little wonder, every day
Pigeons guiding a missile
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AI-generated cover illustration / Титульна AI-згенерована ілюстрація. A period-style reconstruction of a pigeon pecking a target in a laboratory test fixture beside an unarmed prototype nose cone. Not a documentary photograph.
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During World War II, psychologist B. F. Skinner proposed guiding a missile with trained pigeons. The birds would peck at an image of the target on a screen, and a system would turn their movements into steering commands. Project Pigeon received funding in 1943 but was discontinued in 1944; the weapon was never used in combat. The U.S. Navy revived the idea as Project Orcon in 1948, then ended it in 1953 as electronic guidance became more promising.