What we know so far: A Moscow neurotechnology company with close ties to Russia's state innovation ecosystem is testing a system that turns ordinary pigeons into remotely guided "biodrones" using brain implants and solar-powered electronics. The project, known as PJN-1, is emerging as one of the more aggressive attempts to merge invasive neural interfaces with live animals for surveillance and security applications.
At the core of PJN-1 is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are inserted directly into targeted regions of a pigeon's brain. The implant is designed to interface with neural circuits that influence the bird's orientation and movement. According to the company behind the procedure, Neiry, technicians can trigger specific patterns of stimulation that cause the bird to initiate and maintain flight in an operator-chosen direction while experiencing the action as voluntary.
Each modified pigeon carries a compact backpack module that integrates power, communications, and navigation hardware. The pack is solar-powered, enabling extended missions without frequent recharging. It also houses onboard electronics and a GPS receiver, creating a closed-loop control system: operators know the bird's position in real time and can adjust stimulation patterns to correct its course or retask it mid-flight.
Control commands are transmitted wirelessly to the backpack, which relays signals to the implanted electrodes. Neiry says the operators can steer individual birds or entire flocks in real time. This control is achieved by uploading new flight routes and issuing directional cues through the neural interface.
Neiry cites performance figures suggesting that a pigeon equipped as a PJN-1 biodrone can cover roughly 310 miles in a single day of sustained flight. Over a week, the same bird could travel more than 1,850 miles, assuming favorable conditions and adequate access to sunlight for power.
The company argues that pigeons are a logical starting point because of their ubiquity in Russian cities and their ability to navigate dense urban environments without attracting attention. In principle, a bird carrying miniature cameras or other sensors could approach and loiter near sensitive locations while remaining visually indistinguishable from the surrounding flock. Neiry says the same framework could be used to monitor and guard critical facilities, suggesting obvious extensions into military and intelligence work.
Neiry also outlines a roadmap for scaling the concept across different species to meet payload requirements and adapt to varying environmental conditions. Founder Alexander Panov has said that, while the current system runs on pigeons, "any bird can be used as the carrier."
For heavier payloads, the company is looking at ravens, which can lift more mass and may tolerate larger sensor or communications packages. For coastal monitoring, it points to seagulls that naturally patrol shorelines and ports. For surveillance across vast ocean areas, it envisions albatrosses.
One of Neiry's more contentious claims is that the risk of a biodrone crashing in an urban area is no higher than that of a normal bird dying in flight. The firm argues that because the pigeons retain their underlying flight capabilities and the control system only nudges their decisions, the overall probability of an in-air failure remains close to natural levels. On that basis, Neiry maintains that PJN-1 can be deployed safely in cities without creating new hazards for people on the ground.
The project raises clear ethical concerns. The implants require invasive brain surgery on live animals, and Neiry has not disclosed how many birds have died or suffered complications during experiments. The company states that it is working toward a 100% survival rate for the procedure, without releasing any current figures on surgical outcomes or long-term welfare.
Neiry's work on PJN-1 follows earlier controversy around its experiments on cattle. The company previously drew criticism for tampering with cow brains to increase milk yields, pushing its neural engineering into commercial applications.
For defense communities and security analysts, the technical details of PJN-1 point toward a potential new category of dual-use neurotechnology. A system that combines invasive electrodes, solar-powered electronics, GPS tracking, and real-time remote stimulation can be adapted for wartime surveillance or targeting in conflict zones.
The prospect of flocks of apparently ordinary birds acting as sensor networks or delivery mechanisms is likely to fuel debate over how far such experiments should go, and what kind of oversight, if any, should apply.