A goldfish swimming inside a water tank has earned a
Guinness World Records title after steering a motorised vehicle for 12.28 metres in just one minute.
asserted
goldfish → swim → minute
The unusual invention was created by Dutch computer engineer Thomas de Wolf, whose pet goldfish, Blub, became the unlikely driver of a motion-sensing car that translates the fish’s movements into directions for its wheels.
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that → create → wheels
According to Guinness World Records (GWR), Blub and de Wolf achieved the record for the greatest distance covered in a motion-sensing vehicle by a goldfish in one minute.
uncertain
Blub → accord → minute
The attempt took place on the set of Italian television programme Lo Show dei Record in Milan on January 23, 2025, with the achievement reported publicly by Guinness in March 2026.
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achievement → take → March
Blub covered 12.28 metres (40 feet and 3.46 inches), comfortably exceeding the minimum distance of five metres required for the record.
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Blub → cover → record
The vehicle was presented during the programme hosted by Gerry Scotti, with Guinness adjudicator Sofia Greenacre overseeing the attempt.
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Greenacre → present → attempt
After the record was confirmed, de Wolf received an official certificate and medal alongside his aquatic companion.
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Wolf → confirm → companion
How does a goldfish drive a car?
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goldfish → drive → car
The invention works through a motion-sensing camera mounted on the vehicle.
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invention → work → vehicle
Blub swims inside a transparent water tank fitted to a small, motorised, four-wheeled platform.
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Blub → swim → platform
When the fish moves towards one side of the tank, the camera detects its position and the system directs the vehicle to move in the corresponding direction.
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system → move → direction
The setup effectively converts the fish’s movement inside the water into steering instructions for the car.
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setup → convert → car
It does not require Blub to operate a steering wheel, pedals or any conventional driving controls.
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It → require → wheel
The vehicle was designed to work with bright red fish because the camera can detect their movements more easily.
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camera → design → movements
Blub, an Italian goldfish owned by de Wolf, was therefore suited to the experiment.
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Blub → own → experiment
During the one-minute attempt, the car travelled in several directions.
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car → travel → directions
Reversing was permitted under the record rules, meaning all valid movement counted towards the total distance.
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movement → reverse → distance
Measuring the attempt required particular care because the vehicle did not simply travel in a straight line.
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vehicle → measure → line
Greenacre calculated the distance by counting how many times coloured marks on the wheels touched the ground as the car moved around.
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car → calculate → ground
The procedure allowed the adjudicator to determine the total distance covered during the allotted 60 seconds.
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adjudicator → allow → seconds
From a routine engineering job to a record-breaking experiment
De Wolf said the project began as a way to bring some fun into his everyday work as a computer engineer.
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project → break → engineer
“Normally, my job is quite monotonous, so I wanted to create something that would entertain people, turning my ‘serious’ job into something fun,” he said in a Guinness World Records news release.
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he → want → release
He also explained that the experiment was intended to demonstrate what could be achieved with technology, even when the application was not designed to solve an immediate practical problem.
uncertain
application → explain → problem
After the attempt, de Wolf joked about the challenge of explaining the achievement to his pet.
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Wolf → joke → pet
“How am I going to explain to Blub now that he has a world record title?” he said after receiving the certificate.
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he → go → certificate
While the experiment was designed primarily as an entertaining engineering project, it also raised the possibility of adapting similar motion-sensing technology for more practical uses.
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it → design → uses
During the television programme, host Scotti suggested that the technology might one day help people with physical impairments.
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technology → suggest → impairments
De Wolf expressed interest in exploring that possibility.
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Wolf → express → possibility
“I would love to maybe one day be able to help people with mobility issues,” he said, according to Guinness World Records.
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he → love → Records
For now, Blub’s achievement remains an unusual combination of pet ownership, engineering and record-breaking ambition.
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achievement → remain → ownership
The goldfish may not understand the significance of the title, but its movements carried the vehicle more than twice the minimum required distance and secured an official place in the Guinness World Records.
uncertain
movements → understand → Records
The Aporia
