For the past few days over the territory of London will fly feathered patrol, exploring the level of air pollution with the help of miniature backpacks.
Upon application of inventors, who invented the original method of data collection to combat the problem of air pollution will be sent ten pigeons. Their researchers will equip a special 25-gram sensor which, without causing the birds harm, will transmit information about the level of nitrogen dioxide in the air in a particular area of the metropolis.
According to Pierre Duquesnoy, during the creation of this project he was inspired by the stories about the use of birds in mail order, during the first and second world wars.
The data collected from the feathered patrol, and may not reflect a complete picture of the pollution capital of the UK, however they will help scientists to perform the necessary calculations to improve the environmental situation of the citizens. Also, in order to draw people’s attention to the problem of air pollution, the measurement results will be published on the social network Twitter.
After analysis of obtained data, the researchers will recruit 100 people to participate in the further experiment. Volunteers will need to test a wearable device that allows you to monitor the ecological situation in the city.
Now British environmentalists say that urban air pollution varies between moderate and high levels, and previously, on 8 January 2016, higher than the maximum permissible rate, setting a five-year record. According to experts, this environmental problem is causing the deaths of thousands of people a year.