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Technology meets tradition - 18th November 2022

Modern technology has collided with an ancient sport on the backs of camels in the Middle East. Robots have become the new jockeys in camel racing, a sport held in high esteem amongst Bedouin tribes and dubbed the 'Sport of Sheikhs'.

The nature of camel racing is such that jockeys face strict weight restrictions to avoid cutting the camels' speed. This has led to children as young as four being used in this role with some being starved in the name of winning. However, mounting allegations of child trafficking and human rights abuses saw radical changes to the sport.

Pressured by international condemnation, in 2002, the UAE outlawed the use of children under 15 as jockeys. Whilst Qatar, a year earlier, had teamed up with a Swiss robotics firm to design robot jockeys. The process faced some challenges, as initial models scared the animals due to their familiarity with human riders. Modifications were made to make them appear more humanoid disguising them in racing silks, hats and sunglasses.

Coming in at 16 to 18 kilograms, the robot jockeys proved burdensome for the camels, moreover, the desert climate was unfavourable to their delicate technology. Engineers headed back to the drawing board to make further upgrades which were more affordable and lighter than previous ones, weighing a mere two to three kilograms, and now featured two way radio controls and a voice control system.

Camel races now see owners blazing alongside the race track in their SUVs passionately commanding the robots via their sound system, which whip the camels to cross the finish-line.

Even though the jockeys now belong to the age of technology the owners' thirst for victory remains unchanged.

Ali Zawayed: "I have several camels participating today, and I came first in the 8th stage of the race. The challenge was strong, but thank God, I made it and my camel got first place."