The Russian neurotechnology company Neiry claims to have begun field testing a flock of pigeons with chips implanted in their brains, allowing researchers to steer the birds from the laboratory into the wild and back. According to reporting by Forbes Russia, Neiry says its operators can upload flight patterns to pigeons by stimulating specific areas of the brain. Neiry spokespeople said that through this process, the bird itself “wants” to fly in the directions chosen by researchers. “There’s no training required: Any animal becomes remotely controllable after the operation,” the company claimed.

The surgeries are performed on a production line with a precision-guided setup that inserts electrodes into targeted regions of the brain. Neiry says its researchers “seek a 100-percent survival rate for the birds undergoing the procedure,” though it did not provide current survival figures. The device emits signals that influence the bird’s impulses, prompting it to turn left or right. The bird’s location is tracked by GPS, and the onboard electronics run on solar panels affixed to the bird’s back.

If you’ve been with us long enough, naming these three frens should be a breeze pic.twitter.com/288YWBlA4f

— NEIRY (@neirylab) July 15, 2025

Neiry says its “biodrone” technology has applications for monitoring power transmission lines, gas distribution hubs, and other types of infrastructure.