Before Drones: Miniature Pigeon Camera
Today, drones becoming more and more important for individuals and businesses. But don’t think “the idea of drone” is new. In 1907, a pharmacist Dr. Julius Neubronner had an idea that he can take pictures of something from the above if he can put a camera on pigeons. Yeah, that’s right. A miniature pigeon camera.
Dr. Neubronner was always interested in pigeons. Since 1903 he had been sending his prescription and emergency medications to a sanatorium a few kilometers from his home in Kronberg.
One day one of the pigeons had lost its way. Dr. Neubronner was worried. When he returned home four weeks later, he was delighted. This incident gave Neubronner an idea. He had thought of producing wearable light cameras that would record the pigeons’ travels. However, at first, the German patent office did not want to patent the 75g camera because they found it too heavy. Dr. Neubronner did not give up. The German patent office had to accept the invention when he showed the photos taken. In 1908, he patented the pigeon camera.
Dr. Neubronner became famous thanks to his invention. The pigeons with the cameras took part in various exhibitions between 1909–1911 in the cities of Frankfurt and Paris. After the exhibition, the photos were offered as postcards.
Here are some photos that were taken by the pigeon camera:
