How Chinese drones disguised as pigeons work

In the summer blue sky, a white dove, a bird of peace, a feathered conqueror of the heavens is rapidly flying... Although stop! What the hell is a pigeon? This is... a high-tech reconnaissance drone!

The population of the Celestial Empire is rapidly approaching one and a half million. And, according to the Chinese government, all this human mass needs to be monitored somehow. Therefore, scientists at Xi'an University began developing the "Dove" program, in which drones disguised as pigeons were created.

Source: South China Morning Post

Unlike conventional drones, the Dove drones can simulate the movements of a bird's wing, smoothly gain altitude and make sharp movements in the air. They make a minimum of noise and look like real birds. In addition, these drones can fly in groups similar to flocks, as well as hide from human eyes and military radars. The Dove is equipped with a camera, satellite communication and a GPS sensor.

Drone pigeons have conducted over 2,000 test flights on the border with Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan. Currently, more than three dozen government agencies are using bird-like drones in at least five provinces of China to monitor the population. Most of the drones patrol the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the west of the country, near the border with Russia, India and Afghanistan. The Government considers this region populated by Muslims to be a hotbed of separatism and believes that surveillance with the help of new drones will be especially effective.

In recent years, the Chinese authorities have been developing various technologies for population control. For example, a facial recognition system has been introduced in some schools, with the help of which distracted students are tracked, some words and phrases are blocked in social networks, and a rating system for local residents is being introduced.