Goldfish Sets Guinness World Record By Driving A Custom Mini Vehicle

A pet goldfish named Blub has officially entered the Guinness World Record books, after successfully "driving" a custom motion-sensing fish tank car, stunning viewers and scientists alike.

Thomas de Wolf, a computer engineer from the Netherlands, built this one-of-a-kind vehicle. The tank sits on a wheeled chassis, and motion sensors track Blub's movement inside the water. Wherever the goldfish swims toward, the car steers in that same direction.

In the official record attempt, Blub travelled 40 feet and 3.46 inches within 60 seconds, beating the target and claiming the title for the farthest distance travelled by a goldfish in a sensor-controlled vehicle. The whole challenge was witnessed by a Guinness adjudicator on an Italian live TV show.

De Wolf said he created the quirky invention to prove that animal intelligence is often underestimated. "People think goldfish only have a 3-second memory. This experiment shows they can learn navigation tasks and respond to their surroundings."

He also added that the underlying sensor technology may one day be adapted to build mobility aids for people with physical disabilities.

The viral clip quickly swept across European social media. Netizens joked that Blub is now the world's most qualified fish with a driving license.