Camel-racing robots wear perfume so the camels accept them

According to Boing Boing, camel racing in the Gulf states has a dark history: it once relied on child jockeys, often boys around the age of four, who were sometimes starved to stay as light as possible, sustained by what the outlet describes as an active child slave trade. That practice has since given way to a stranger sight — robotic jockeys mounted on the camels. And to get the animals to accept their mechanical riders, the robots are reportedly doused in perfume, borrowing a familiar human scent so the camels tolerate them at the starting line.

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