Xmas special: Gifts from Santa!

A Robo Sapien, a Martian property, space ride into the universe, a car without a driver… these are some of Santa’s gifts to Dubai’s residents. Indira Dharchaudhuri picks the best…

Property on Mars

As stock markets around the world experience a free fall, the one gift that most investors today want is a definite return on investment. Santa has come up with a great gift: A space on Mars just for you. No, it’s not science fiction. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning its most ambitious mission ever, putting earthlings on the surface of the Red Planet. It’s a daunting yet exhilarating prospect which dwarfs the challenges of the Apollo missions to the moon. Yet NASA is convinced it can and will be done. For terra-forming has already occurred somewhere else for the past four billion years - the place being Earth. So, who knows, next year-end you might be have having carrot drumsticks, tabouli salad and zucchini loaf cake at a nouveau cuisine Martian resort.

Robo Sapien

Since most kids in Dubai are crazy about having pet robots that emulate the behaviour of real-life dogs, cats, giraffes and dinosaurs, Santa Claus has decided to gift Dubai parents Robo Sapiens. Made of silicon and steel, these robotic workers will possess realistic motions, simulated emotions and interpersonal skills. They will specialise in tedious tasks and offer emotional support to humans by taking care of babies and the aged, doing household chores, conducting remote diagnosis via a network and rehabilitating stroke sufferers. These friendly humanoid robots will identify human feelings such as surprise, fear, happiness and disgust with the help of motor-ised masks. In addition to an anthropomorphic head-eye system capable of rapid movement, they will converse with a voice recognition software.

High-tech cars

No need to worry about irate taxis drivers or even about procuring a driving licence. This Xmas, Santa wants to gift you a Grand Cherokee. And as you cruise through Dubai’s Shaikh Zayed Road, reclining in the rear of the car with your sweetheart, the Jeep will change lanes from smooth asphalt to rough cobblestone. But who’ll be steering the car? Nobody. In the driver’s seat, there will be a hulking metal contraption that may look like an out-of-place engine part. It’ll be bolted to the Jeep’s brake pedal, accelerator and steering wheel. Thick cables will connect it to a computer whose high-IQ roadsters will speed the Jeep down smart highways under its own command, turning drivers into passengers, saving billions and transforming commuters’ lives in the process.

Space ride

Santa wants you to discover your universe, and that’s exactly why he has declared 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. Keeping this in perspective, he has decided to gift you a seat on Virgin Galactic’s flight next year.

Once aboard SpaceShipTwo (SS2), you will be blasted into outer space faster than a bullet, drift weightlessly for five minutes before an entirely safe but nail-biting entry back to the earth. The $200,000 (Dh734,620) ticket is sure to offer you the adventure of your lifetime.