Pigeon Watch

Engineers from Plume Labs and DigitasLBI have released a flock of 10 pigeons in the skies of London for tracking the pollution levels in the city. The pigeons are fitted with lightweight sensors capable of measuring nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels– the main gases responsible for the urban pollution.

The lightweight sensors are stitched inside small fabric vests that are comfortably placed over the pigeons’ back. The project is part of the Pigeon Air Patrol, an initiative that would last only for three days. However, the team behind the project believes that it would raise awareness levels about pollution in the city. With this project, they hope to collaborate with the researchers on a further big project.

The team has also collaborated with the social networking giant Twitter. Ordinary people can track the pigeons on the Pigeon Air Patrol Website or get pollution readings by tweeting directly to –@PigeonAir.