Never mind Al-Qaeda, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the insurgency in Iraq, a new terror threatens the sensitive oil-rich region of Arabia.
Camel racing.
A favourite pastime amongst the Arab upper classes, camel racing is now the hot-button issue of the region. Many countries have abolished the use of children as jockeys, and have moved to develop light-weight robot jockeys to replace them.
Qatar was first out of the gate with the CyberCamel 3000, a lightweight robot capable of guiding a camel at nearly the same speed as boy jockey of the same mass.
The CyberCamel 3000 is armed with six light-weight tac missiles with explosive warheads; it also has a taser-like appendage capable of delivering 50,000 volt stun charge. (In the prototype this was to disable the camel in case the robot lost control of the beast, but it has been effective at close-in combat with enemy soldiers.) The other appendage holds a riding crop.
Since then, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have tested the Ungulator Mark X, a doll-like robot that is surprisingly huggable. (Not recommended if the Ungulator is in assault mode, in which case the plush fur-like covering is electrostatically charged and capable of delivering a lethal high-amp charge.) In addition to this defensive measure, the Ungulator’s googley-eyes contain the world’s first effective weaponized lasers.
Since the successful tests of these two robots, Kuwait has launched its own crash program, with a biological focus. Instead of expensive robots, Kuwait is experimenting with a variety of primates, psychotropic compounds and high doses of mutagenic radiation. They plan to release ChimpZilla Camel Guided “Fun Bombs” later this year.
Inspired by:
Taipei Times article | BBC article
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