As mesmerising as an aquarium full of fish can be, it’s hard to not feel bad about imprisoning them in a glass cell. And maybe that’s partly what inspired Adam Ben-Dor, the creator of that awesome animated Pixar-like desk lamp, to build the Abovemarine; a glass bowl on omni-directional wheels that lets its sole swimming occupant steer it around.
A camera perched above the tank tracks the movement of the fish inside — in this case a Siamese Fighting fish named José — and translates the direction it’s swimming into where the Abovemarine roams. Surprisingly, once the fish got accustomed to its temporary mobile home, Adam found that it would actually swim backwards when it got close to an object to stop the tank from colliding with it. Who says fish can’t be real pets? [Adam Ben-Dror]
