Robot Gives Goldfish Legs

Robot allows fish to roam land

Updated Thu. Sep. 21 2006 3:50 PM ET

Brian Jackson , DiscoveryChannel.ca

A fishbowl hooked up to a pair of wheels and a computer allows a goldfish access to land.

Artist Seth Weiner is calling the invention contemporary art. "The Terranaut Project" is on display at the Exit Art gallery in New York until Dec. 23.

A camera mounted above the fishbowl is pointed down and tracks the fish movements. The information is then wirelessly transmitted to an onboard computer. There, the fish movements are converted into wheel movements.

It won't be seen racing down the street any time soon. The vehicle moves much slower than walking-speed.

It's also unlikely the fish can appreciate the experience - the bending of light caused by the concave fishbowl ruins visibility to the outside world. But that hasn't stopped the fish from 'growing new legs' in the world of web-fame.

From a YouTube video to being featured on tech-nerd web pages and blogs, to winning a contemporary art award voted on by readers of an online newspaper, Terranaut is literally everywhere.