Qatar to Use Robots As Camel Riders: "With the reins in one hand and a whip in the other, the purple-jerseyed rider prodded a camel around the track. But this jockey wasn't the usual underfed boy. The jockey was a robot.

Under the watchful eyes of his Swiss developer and Qatari owners, the robot — dubbed Kamel — rode a racing camel for 1.5 miles, reaching speeds of 25 miles per hour in a non-competitive trial run. By 2007, rulers of this energy-rich emirate say all camel racers will be mechanical.

In Qatar, ruling sheiks have responded to calls for banning the use of boy jockeys by embracing robots as the best solution."

-K


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