Goldfish ‘drives’ into Guinness World Record

A goldfish has “driven” its way into the world records book after its owner built a custom-made vehicle for the aquatic animal.

Dutch engineer Thomas de Wolf constructed the four-wheeled vehicle with a water tank for his pet goldfish, Blub.

The vehicle is powered by Blub’s movements in the tank.

During a demonstration on Italian TV series Lo Show dei Record on Jan 23, the vehicle travelled 12.28m in one minute. This feat earned Mr de Wolf and Blub a Guinness World Record for the greatest distance covered in a motion-sensing vehicle by a goldfish in one minute.

According to Guinness, a goldfish needs to cover a distance of at least 5m within one minute to claim a record.

Movement in any direction counts, even in reverse.

“Normally, my job is quite monotonous, so I wanted to create something that would entertain people, turning my ‘serious’ job into something fun,” Mr de Wolf told the Italian TV show.

So how does Blub “drive” the vehicle?

According to Mr de Wolf, there is a motion sensing camera installed on the vehicle. When the fish swims to one side of the tank, the vehicle moves in the same direction.

However, this works only when the fish is bright red, making it easier for the camera to detect movements.

“The objective is to show people what is possible to achieve with this kind of technology, even when it’s not necessarily something ‘serious’,” said Mr de Wolf.

“I would love to may be one day be able to help people with mobility issues,” he added.

For now, the proud pet owner faces one dilemma.

“How am I going to explain to Blub now that he has a world record title?” Mr de Wolf joking said.