An air of superiority

摘要

I've ridden horseback before, but nothing could prepare me for riding a 5-metre-long balloon through a dusty pipe-organ factory. My mount, named AntRoach for its anteater-like nose and six legs, lurches from side to side as engineers use a laptop to navigate the semi-autonomous inflatable robot across the wood floor. Each step is accompanied by the loud exhaust of pressurised air from its joints, as I cling nervously to AntRoach's polyester sides.