Using a computer chip, Duke biologists reanimated the wings of a dead sparrow. From the BBC:

“With a budget of just $1500, Dr Anderson said the initial plan was to modify an existing motor from a remote-controlled airplane or car but they were all too large to fit inside the 18 gram bird, the size of an average house sparrow.

‘Our engineer built a linear motor from first principles, and then re-miniaturized it until we got something to fit.’

Once the motor was in place and the robot chip was programmed, the mounted bird was put in the wild along with a discreet sound system playing swamp sparrow calls to attract others.

The wing-waving robot lasted for two months but was regularly attacked, said Dr Anderson.

‘We had no back up – every day was a wish and a prayer that he survived the sixty trials,’ she added.

‘Eventually the head fell off and the wing stopped moving.'”