Robots ride camels in race

[emad]

Tuesday 19 July 2005, 2:15 Makka Time, 23:15 GMT


Remote-controlled robot jockeys have made their debut as camel riders in the United Arab Emirates, competing in a trial race after the Gulf Arab state tightened a ban on child jockeys.


Robots weighing up to 15kg were dressed in the clothes of human jockeys during the race held in the capital Abu Dhabi, which officials described as "successful", the WAM news agency reported.

Earlier this month the UAE outlawed using children under 18 - raising the age limit from 16 - in camel races, a practice condemned internationally as a form of slavery.

Human trafficking

The UAE and neighbouring Qatar, which has also banned child camel jockeys and tested out the robotic substitutes, want to replace them with robot riders which receive orders from an instructor via a remote control system on the back of the camel.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/541E2E9D-0DCA-4BE4-963D-0E0CC79A49CC.htm

[6th Borough]

1. For some reason I can only think of Folger's instant coffee...

If you're child camel jockey was switched with a robotic substitute, do you think you could tell the difference?

[Ready4Change]

2. Getting tired of mislabeled "robots"

Maybe I don't understand the term?

To me, a robot is an item which guides and operates itself.

Remote controlled devices aren't robots. They are remote controlled devices. Some human, somewhere, is controlling the actions of the device.

All those battling robot shows on TV? Not robots for the most part. If there's a contestant holding an RC controller, rapt on the action, definitely not robots.

Some of the college competitions are true robots. That DARPA competition in the desert was true robots.

An RC car is not a robot. A Zip Zap racer is not a robot.

Sorry. Nitpicky rant is over now.

[Ready4Change]

3. BUT! These RC controlled camel riders seem a positive thing.

I'd read before of the mistreatment of child camel jockeys. Developing the means of replacing them seems a good thing, to me.