A pet goldfish named Blub has officially earned a Guinness World Record - by getting behind the wheel. The fish, owned by Dutch computer engineer Thomas de Wolf, covered 12.28 meters (about 40 feet) in just 60 seconds aboard a custom-built, motion-sensing vehicle, setting the record for the greatest distance covered in a motion-sensing vehicle by a goldfish in one minute.
The record was set on January 23 on the set of the Italian TV show Lo Show dei Record in Milan, Italy - the long-running program that partners with Guinness World Records.
De Wolf, a computer engineer from the Netherlands, built the four-wheeled vehicle himself. It features a water tank where Blub rides and a motion-sensing camera that tracks the fish's position inside the tank. When Blub swims toward one side, the sensors translate that movement into a directional signal - propelling the car forward, backward, or to the side. The system requires a high-contrast subject to work properly, meaning it only functions with bright red fish so the camera can accurately lock onto the subject's movements. Blub, described as an Italian fish, was the ideal candidate.
To qualify for the record, Blub needed to cover at least five meters within the time limit. Movement in any direction counted, including in reverse. Official Guinness World Records Adjudicator Sofia Greenacre was on hand to certify the attempt, tracking the distance by counting how many times a colored mark on each wheel touched the ground. Blub covered more than twice the minimum requirement.
De Wolf said the project was born out of a desire to inject some levity into his day job. "Normally my job is quite monotonous, so I wanted to create something that would entertain people, turning my 'serious' job into something fun," he told the show.
But de Wolf also sees a serious side to the technology. He told the program that the motion-sensing system driving Blub's car could one day help people with mobility impairments. "I would love to maybe one day be able to help people with mobility issues," he said, adding that his objective was to demonstrate what is achievable with this kind of technology, even through something unconventional.
After receiving his record certificate, de Wolf had one lingering question: "How am I going to explain to Blub now that he has a world record title?"
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