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A robot camel jockey, invented by the Qatar Scientific Club and the firm, K-Team, won the prize for ‘Best Invention' at the First International Exhibition for Inventions. Though a seemingly odd invention here in the West, the robot is meant to replace child jockeys in the Persian Gulf.

A robot camel jockey preps for race (from National Geographic).

Last year, when Qatar banned the use of children in camel-racing, camel owners were forced to look for technologically advanced replacements. So the Qatar Development Bank asked a Swiss robotics firm, K-Team, to help come up with a solution. That solution is the goofy-looking, though functional, robot camel jockey pictured above. Weighing only 57 pounds, the robot jockey is meant to be lighter and more aerodynamic than a human rider, therein offering functionality and ethical responsibility in a $5,500 package.

Two other countries, Oman and the UAE, have expressed interest in the robot jockeys due to human-rights concerns over the use of young children, some under the age of ten, in camel racing.

Besides the award for the camel jockey, the Qatar Scientific Club also took home two gold medals and two silver medals, for inventions including a foot operated PC mouse, and a door without a joint.

Hat Tips: Gulf Times, National Geographic , and Michelle Blu

Lee Nunley
Middle Eastern Innovations Writer
InventorSpot.com