The most common demise of fish is due to negligence. If you go through life with a “can’t someone else do it” attitude, like myself, then pets really aren’t your bailiwick. Fish of all pets are the easiest to maintain and yet, some people can’t keep a goldfish alive longer than a week.

With Fifer, the fish feeding robot, fish finally get the attention they deserve.  Fifer calculates the density of fish in the water. It’ll send out sound waves to attract the fish then dispense the right amount of food.  This will train the fish into approaching the robot have them associate the sound waves with feeding time. There is also a plant on top which grows to represent the health of your fish. Fish need lovin’ too you know.

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Getting wet sucks, especially if you’re that alien species from the movie Signs. Michael Burton has crafted an award-winning concept of a virtual water interactive installation. Unlike the Light Rain, you won’t find shoddy poetry and goofy dancers throughout this video. Rather, you’ll see people playing with life-like water displayed on a board.

The water will react to anything pressed up against the board including your entire body. Plants will grow in dry areas of the board, aquatic life will spawn from bodies of water and water will become stagnant if its source is severed. With multiple users, an evolving network of virtual water is obtained. The Waterboard claims to

“offer the means to encourage creating thinking to emphasis the natural progression of the Earth’s water supply”

Looks like he’s going for an eco state-of-mind and from the looks of things, it seems to be quite the success.
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We’ve seen robots of every variety. Chances are, if something is badass, there’s a robot-form of it. The Nonlinear Dynamics and Control Lab of the University of Washington have turned a dissociated group of robot fish into a communicative school of robot fish.

Using low power, low frequency sonar, the fish are able to transfer information between one another while underwater. Although only half the information was received successfully, the robot fish were programmed in a way that they’re still able to accomplish their tasks with little information given to them, much like an actual school of fish.  This technology could eventually be used to explore the oceans and study oceanic-life, opening the door to new aquatic applications.

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No one is sure why Sangmin Bae designed the Rhythmfish system. Perhaps he got lonely and didn’t have anyone to talk to, so he built this device that records the movement of fish and the currents generated by them. The flow sensors inside the tank collect enough data then translate it into an audiovisual response, which is then displayed through a mounted LCD and speakers.

Sangmin Bae says:

“even if the fish can’t speak and express its feelings in a human way, it has an energy and communication skill in its own way. Vibration is the medium of interaction, and I chose it for its universality in the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.”

While this isn’t true communication with fish, one thing is for certain: You can make a sporadically rockin’ visual coupled with random audio of the same nature. Try getting visuals like that on your Winamp plug-in.
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A self-sufficient aquarium? To an extent, that’s what one could probably call Local River. The latest project from French designer Mathieu Lehanneur features a small aquarium with untrained fish swimming around at the bottom. Various plant life grows around the tank and the fish feed off it as they please. In turn, the plants provide nutrients for the fish and purify the water.

I’m not a botanist, so don’t ask me the scientific details. All I know is that Local River looks beautiful and can be seen in New York City through June 21st. If I have the time this week, I’ll try to stop by and snap some pictures of the exhibit. Which would you rather have in your home? Local River or those Grobal Plants in wacky colors?

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If you have a pet fish, you understand that they can become pretty boring after a while. They’re nice to look at when you’re in need of some relaxation, but other than that, we’re pretty much slaves to our fish masters, feeding them and cleaning up their shit as they deem fit.

The R2 Fish School Kit is said to be “everything you need to teach your fish tricks.” And by the looks of the above video, you can get your fish to do some pretty cool shit to show off to all of your fellow fish loving friends, including playing soccer, and dodging along various obstacles.

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When you think of comfort, what are one of the first things you think of to lay your head on, apply directly to the forehead? Well, I dunno about you, but one of the first things that pops into MY head is fresh salmon. Thank goodness that someone else feels the same since now there is a Fresh Salmon Pillow.

I look at it like this. If it’s a fish and it doesn’t sing to me annoyingly from a wall plaque, then that’s all that matters. Available now for 2625 yen ($22). — Andrew Dobrow

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