While their bodies are real, the birds themselves are not, according to a popular conspiracy theory.
However, a team of researchers in New Mexico is utilizing taxidermic birds to develop drones that can study flight patterns, as reported by Reuters.
The project is being led by Mostafa Hassanalian, a professor of mechanical engineering at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro.
After finding that mechanical bird drones were not producing satisfactory results, the team began exploring the use of deceased birds.
“We came up with this idea that we can use … dead birds and make them (into) a drone,” Hassanalian, who has extensively studied drones, told Reuters, as reported by Insider.
“Everything is there,” he added. “We do reverse engineering.”
According to Hassanalian, the team aims to utilize the taxidermic birds to research the formations and flight patterns of birds.
The findings from this study could potentially have applications in the aviation industry, as reported by Reuters, via Insider.
Written by staff
B.C. Begley 