November 7, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Robotic camel riders go down a storm in the desert
By Mark Rutter

LONDON, November 7, Graphic News:  Described as the sport of kings, camel racing has been popular on the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years. To those interested in the sport there is no better sight than watching these beasts lolloping at full tilt across the sandy landscape at speeds of up to 25 miles (or 40 kilometres) per hour. The one big downside, however, is the exploitation of young boys as jockeys to lessen the load and improve the speed of the camels. Now technology looks like coming to the rescue, in the shape of child-size robots.

With 14,000 racing camels in the UAE alone, the sport enjoys great support among the masses, as well as wealthy Sheiks. Although no betting is allowed, there are often prizes at stake, and the chance to sell successful animals for a large profit. The practice of using boys as jockeys, sometimes as young as four and often smuggled from Sudan or Pakistan, amounts to modern child slavery. These children are often deliberately malnourished to keep their weight down, and forced to endure appalling living conditions.

Pressure from human rights groups and western governments is working. The use of children was banned in the UAE in 1980 but there is still much flouting of the law by owners looking to gain a racing advantage. In 2003, Qatar, seeking to gain western favour, was forced to look to technology as an alternative. Although the country developed a prototype robot jockey, it proved to be too heavy as a suitable mount. So the task of developing a robotic rider was put out to tender to companies in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The contract was awarded to K-Team, a small Swiss company.

The brief was not only to design a robot that could withstand the heat of the desert and the vibration encountered while being carried along at full speed on the camelŐs back, but one that was also acceptable to the animal itself. K-Team eventually came up with a lightweight aluminium and plastic frame mounted on shock absorbers, with hinged arms able to use a whip and reins to control the camel's speed, these functions being controlled by a remote device carried by the trainer who follows behind in a four-wheel drive. As the camels seem to be fussy about who rides them, the robots are made to resemble small Asian children, complete with life-like faces, sunglasses and helmets.

These robotic jockeys have proved a great success in trials, achieving acceptable race times. There are already around 25 robots ready to ride, and it is anticipated that this will rise to 100 by the end of 2005. They have been welcomed by the younger generation, and accepted by the camels. In fact, the rulers of Qatar claim that by 2007 all jockeys will be robotic. But appeasing some of the older camel-racing supporters, who see the introduction of robots into their traditional sport as an erosion of a great custom, might prove a little more problematic.
/ENDS