Ten racing pigeons suited with specialized backpacks took to the skies to monitor air pollution in London. People can track where the pigeons are flying on a live map and gauge pollutant levels wherever they land to rest their wings.
The flock, dubbed the Pigeon Air Patrol, was released from a rooftop in Brick Lane. Air quality sensors inside the backpacks will measure nitrogen dioxide, ozone and volatile compounds present in the air for a period of three days. The backpacks also contain GPS trackers that relay the birds' location.
Through Wednesday, March 15, Londoners can check the air quality registered in their area by tweeting their location to @PigeonAir.
The project, co-created by marketing and technology agency DigitasLBi and air quality tech developers at Plume Labs, follows Twitter's #PoweredbyTweets competition.
The idea, originally submitted by Pierre Duquesnoy and Matt Daniels of Digitas LBi, was the winning entry in the "Solve a Problem" category of the competition and was exhibited during the London Design Festival at Somerset House.
The goal, researchers say, is to draw attention to air pollution, which is a global problem. In fact, Plume Labs said 10,000 people die from air pollution each year in London alone.
"Most of the time when we talk about pollution people think about Beijing or other places, but there are some days in the year when pollution was higher and more toxic in London than Beijing, that's the reality," explained Duquesnoy, founder of Plume Labs.
With scientists hailing it as a first for urban animals, the team acknowledges it was inspired by the use of messenger pigeons in the first and second world wars. However, the birds - often thought to be a nuisance - also offer a practical approach for monitoring the city's air pollution from the sky rather than its congested roads.
The tiny sensors weigh only 25 grams, allowing the pigeons to move around freely. The birds fly relatively low to the ground, between 100 and 150 feet, and fast, at speeds up to 80mph. A vet is on hand to make sure the pigeons do not suffer from any distress.
"There's something about taking what is seen as a flying rat and reversing that into something quite positive," Duquesnoy added.
Track the birds' flight path on live maps and, if you are in London, tweet the @PigeonAir Twitter account to get pollution updates in your immediate area.
