Robot camel jockeys - 18th November 2022

Camel racing is an old sport in the Middle East. People rode camels in races. But now, robots ride them.

The name for a rider is a jockey. Jockeys aren’t usually very heavy. This is important. The camels need to run fast. The jockeys were often young children. Some were four years old.

Some camel racers didn’t give any food to the children. They had to be small and light. Many people were angry about this.

In 2002, the UAE made a law to stop this. Jockeys have to be 15 years old.

In 2001, Qatar started making robot jockeys. But they didn’t look like people. The camels were afraid of them.

Now, the robots look like humans. They wear clothes and sunglasses.

But there were other problems too. The first robots were heavy. They weighed 16 to 18 kilos. Sand got inside the robots. And the hot weather was bad for the machines.

Now, the robot riders weigh two to three kilos.

The racers can control them with their voices too.

Racers tell their robot jockeys what to do. Camel racing looks different now. But the racers still want to win.

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."