How Do You Make A Camel Trust A Robot
put someone at ease: to help someone feel calm and relaxed, especially when they feel nervous or shy
Camel racing is a proud tradition in the Gulf, but for years it hid something cruel. The riders were often small children taken from poor countries like Sudan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Some were only four or five years old. They were kept very thin so the camels could run faster, and many were treated badly. In 2005, the United Arab Emirates banned children from the sport. From then on, a robot would ride instead.
The robots are small and light, only two or three kilograms. Each one sits on the camel’s back where a child once sat. A handler drives beside the track in a fast car. He controls the robot from his seat, pulling the reins and moving a small whip by remote.
But there was a problem. Camels are used to people. They know the weight, the voice, and even the smell of their rider. When the first robots arrived, the camels felt something was wrong. They grew nervous and confused.
So the engineers made the robots more human. They added a plastic face, sunglasses, a hat, and bright racing clothes. Then they tried one more thing. They sprayed the robots with the same perfume the human riders wore. That familiar smell was enough to put the camels at ease. Now they race at full speed for a rider they can smell but will never meet.
Sample sentences
My new manager smiled and made a small joke in the meeting, and it instantly put the whole team at ease.
Before the interview, the receptionist offered me coffee and tried to put me at ease.
Good teachers put shy students at ease so they are not afraid to speak.
Read More
How a robotics engineer accidentally upended child labor practices in the Gulf (Rest of World)
Camel racing: The multi-million dollar industry mixing modernity and tradition (CNN)
