Goldfish Named Blub Sets Guinness World Record Driving Motion-Sensing Car on Live TV
A goldfish named Blub has officially driven his way into the record books.
The small but mighty fish set the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance covered in a motion-sensing vehicle by a goldfish in one minute, traveling 12.28 meters (40 ft 3.46 in) in just 60 seconds.
The record attempt took place on the Italian TV show Lo Show Dei Record in Milan, with an enthusiastic audience cheering Blub on every inch of the way.
The vehicle behind this unusual feat was created by Thomas de Wolf, a computer engineer from the Netherlands.
The setup is as clever as it is entertaining: a water tank holding the goldfish sits atop a wheeled vehicle equipped with a motion-sensing camera system. When Blub swims in a particular direction, the camera detects the movement and sends the vehicle rolling that same way.
There’s one key technical requirement — the system needs a bright red fish for accurate motion tracking. That made Blub, identified as an Italian goldfish, the ideal candidate for the job.
To break the record, Blub needed to cover a minimum distance of five meters in one minute. Any direction counted, including reverse. Blub more than doubled that threshold, covering 12.28 meters in the allotted time.
Why Build a Fish-Powered Car?
For de Wolf, the project was born out of a desire to inject some fun into his everyday work.
“Normally my job is quite monotonous, so I wanted to create something that would entertain people, turning my ‘serious’ job into something fun,” de Wolf told Guinness.
But beyond the laughs, de Wolf sees a larger purpose in the invention. He wants to demonstrate that innovation doesn’t always have to come wrapped in seriousness.
“The objective is to show people what is possible to achieve with this kind of technology, even when it’s not necessarily something ‘serious,’” he told Guinness.
De Wolf also noted that the concept behind the fish-powered car could potentially be adapted to help people with mobility issues — a reminder that playful experimentation can sometimes open the door to meaningful real-world applications.
A Guinness World Record Made Official
Guinness World Records adjudicator Sofia Greenacre oversaw the attempt to ensure everything met official standards.
The distance Blub traveled was calculated by counting how many times a colored mark on each wheel touched the ground — a straightforward but precise method of measurement.
The attempt was filmed and presented on television, giving viewers at home and the studio audience a front-row seat to the unusual spectacle. Presenter Gerry Scotti described the moment as “very sweet and very futuristic.”
The audience clearly agreed, reacting positively and cheering for Blub as the little fish navigated the vehicle through nothing more than natural swimming movements.
The record was officially awarded to both de Wolf and Blub — a partnership between human ingenuity and one oblivious but cooperative goldfish.
The Lighthearted Side of Innovation
De Wolf seemed to be enjoying every moment of the achievement, including the absurdity of sharing a world record title with a fish.
“How am I going to explain to Blub now that he has a world record title?” de Wolf joked.
It’s a fair question. Blub, for his part, likely carried on swimming without a care in the world — unaware that his laps around a small tank had just made international headlines.
The story of Blub and his record-breaking ride is a reminder that not every breakthrough needs to look like one.
Sometimes innovation shows up in the most unexpected forms — in this case, a goldfish behind the wheel of a tiny car, paddling his way into the history books one fin stroke at a time.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
