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Camel-Riding Robots

misterpies writes "Of the many jobs robots could be put to use, here's one I'll bet not many slashdotters have considered - camel jockeys. According to the BBC, from next year racing camels in the United Arab Emirates will be ridden by robots. And for once, the folks put out of work won't be complaining - mostly children (some as young as four) who are reportedly abducted or sold by their families to unscrupulous racing-camel owners. How long until we see robots take over from humans in other sports?"

24 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Crossover by suso · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sounds like Short Circuit meets Ishtar or City Slickers. They should do a remake now.

  2. Battle-Bots by maotx · · Score: 4, Funny

    How long until we see robots take over from humans in other sports?

    Better yet, how long until we see robots take over humans for sports?
    Nothing like the sound of a solid ka-thunk of a head to make a goal in front of a roaring crowd of robots.

    --
    I'm a virgo and on Slashdot. Coincidence? Yes.
  3. money by mboverload · · Score: 4, Funny

    20 rubees on Robo-Akmed!

  4. Wow. by dayid · · Score: 4, Funny

    I do believe this is the stupidest story I've ever seen posted here.

    1. Re:Wow. by isa-kuruption · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait until it's reposted... later today.

  5. Yeah, right... by brilinux · · Score: 4, Funny
    Here's one not many slashdotters have considered

    Pshaww... pretty much as soon as I found out what a robot was when I was a child, the first thing that came to my mind was, "I wonder if such things could be made to ride camels". Geesh, I wonder where that submitter has been all his life...

  6. PETR by bigtallmofo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wait until People for the Ethical Treatment of Robots starts throwing oil on the camels in protest!

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
  7. This a major blow for parents by Timesprout · · Score: 4, Funny

    One of our best misbehaviour prevention threats has been removed. Now the kids wont believe us when we threaten them with being sold to an arab for a life of camel racing. Please tell me they have not yet developed a camel pooper scooper robot, so at least we can still threaten them with a life of camel dung collection.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  8. Yah, but... by JustOK · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sure they can run camels, but can they run linux?

    --
    rewriting history since 2109
  9. Problem ahead? by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Funny

    Has anyone asked the camels what they think of this? Large evil beasts might not take to kindly to having robotic jockey overlords.

    1. Re:Problem ahead? by wootest · · Score: 1, Funny

      Maybe people figure that they, for one, would welcome their new robotic jockey overlords.

  10. But the strange thing is by DrXym · · Score: 4, Funny

    These "robots" will look curiously like small children wrapped in tinfoil...

  11. Robots in sports by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the summary:

    How long until we see robots take over from humans in other sports?

    Bender: Clem Johnson? That skin bag wouldn't have lasted one pitch in the old Robot Leagues! Now
    Wireless Joe Jackson, there was a blern hitting machine!

    Leela: Exactly! He was a machine designed to hit blerns! I mean come on! Wireless Joe was nothing but a programmable bat on wheels.

    Bender: Oh and I suppose PitchingBot 5000 was just a modified howitzer.

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

  12. A danger to our industry. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    PETA throwing motor oil? I sure hope not! I work in the rendering plant where we take lambs and bleed them to death in order to provide PETA liquid blood to pour on furs during their protess. They are our biggest client right now.

    1. Re:A danger to our industry. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I work in the rendering plant where we take lambs and bleed them to death in order to provide PETA liquid blood.

      NOTE TO MODERATORS: PARENT IS BULLSHITTING.

      Everyone knows PETA uses the blood of kittens, not lambs.

  13. Re:Now, this is an example... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    My favourite strange sport is the biathlon. I suppose it was invented by the government to produce proficient alpine snipers for warfare in the arctic areas of the planet.

  14. Robots will shine. by AtariAmarok · · Score: 1, Funny
    "Robots will shine in sports..."

    Only when properly buffed and waxed, mind you.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  15. Reality for robots by netman12 · · Score: 3, Funny
    This is just in time! We can let them take over from humans in reality TV shows.

    Survivor 25: twenty robots stranded on a desert island, equipped with only 5 bolts and a single AA battery, battle it out to see who can make it the longest without a change of oil.

  16. I mean, really! by ABaumann · · Score: 1, Funny

    Has anyone asked the camels how they feel about this?

  17. Re:Now, this is an example... by GrumpyDeveloper · · Score: 2, Funny

    we, in the west, put migets on horses

    Actually, the politically correct term is "little people", you insensitive clod...

  18. Maybe they could replace the fans... by Belial6 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd rather see them replace the fans with robots. Then we can stop listening to people yelling about how they are number 1, because some millionair that couldn't care whether they live or die, made a touchdown.

  19. Evil Western Influence by liquid-groove · · Score: 2, Funny

    Damn the yankee imperialist dogs for their evil Western influence. How dare they destroy a time honored tradition of selling children into bondage.

    When will the West learn that their technology and influence is against the will of Allah?

  20. Re:Now, this is an example... by maxwell+demon · · Score: 2, Funny
    No, deficits is clearly negative.

    Now, being smaller means there's less difference in gravity potencial between head and feet. According to general relativity, this means less difference in speed of time. Therefore I propose as next term:
    better synchronized people


    Now, thinking about it, this may be negative towards the tall people ...
    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  21. I can already see it... by InsaneCreator · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bend it like soccer unit 3500-4X!