"Camel Auto Rider" the 34th team to qualify for this year's MIT semi-finalist round
This story is provided by MIT Enterprise Forum - Pan-Arab Region.
Saudi “Camel Auto Rider” has been selected as one of the semi-finalist teams for this year’s MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Start-Up Competition for the Ideas Track.
The camel racing tradition has been present in Saudi Arabia for centuries, and has never really been recognized as an international sport. Hence, “Camel Auto Rider” truly believed that they could make this happen through technology. Abdul Rahman Al- Dulaijan, Nawaf Al Sabhan, Ahmed Hamidaddin and Mashhour Bedaiwi are fortunate enough to make a team with integrated professional backgrounds in engineering, computer science and software engineering.
Inspiration
Through observing camel racing events, “Camel Auto Rider” decided to come up with a more advanced device with added functionality; as the currently used jockeys are limited in functionality, and primitive in nature such as utilizing “drills” at their core, “We felt inclined as industry professionals to bring the latest technology currently for a new and improved robot camel jockey, at the same price of the current primitive jockeys” explained the team.
Problem and solution
In the past few decades, the use of primitive riding devices has become popular within camel racing events in the Middle Eastern region. This was primarily due to human rights concerns regarding the use of child jockeys in these races, because of their light weight, which leads to quicker race camels.
There have been many attempts to replace child jockeys, one of them being a device with a “drill” at the core to merely whip a race camel until the finish line. Functionality in terms of accurate control, monitoring and optimization of race, is limited. Lack of research on Camel Racing devices didn’t secure a suitable replacement of children.
“Camel Auto Rider” project aims at remedying the high cost, and advancing the functionality. New functionality would range from additional control features of a race camel, monitoring of vital signs, as well as navigational features such as on-board video streaming from race camels, active steering from smartphones, and optimized race camel riding, all at the same cost of the currently used “Drill” jockeys.
All in all, the “Camel Auto Rider” initiative aims at using High-Tech and cost effective camel automated jockeys in local and regional camel racing tournaments, as substitute to the primitive “drill” devices that are currently used.
Advice for entrepreneurs
“The MITEF initiative for entrepreneurs is the perfect opportunity for us to get a top notch education in entrepreneurship, and to get equitable recognition for our project.
Learn more about "Camel Auto Rider" by:
Watching their youtube video here
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