Designer and artist [Adam Ben-Dror](http://www.ben-dror.com/about/) has already taught his Siamese Fighting Fish, José, to jump out of the water to get food and the fish has also been trained to follow his hand as he circles it around the tank. Recognizing that José is more than a mindless creature with a 3-second memory, Ben-Dror decided his fish should have more freedom to swim than the confines of its 1.5-foot-wide bowl. Therefore, he created the _Abovemarine_: a mobile fish tank controlled by José's own movements.

The _Abovemarine_ is equipped with Omni wheels, a camera, Arduinio, and Processing, so as the fish swims, the bowl moves accordingly. As José swims backwards, the _Abovemarine_ slows to a halt to avoid crashes. Without the Omni wheels, "The tank would get stuck in a feedback loop, spinning in a circle every time José, who moves relative to the tank, swam left or right."

Ben-Dror explained the project's conceptual goals in an email:

"The _Abovemarine_ is not fish freedom. It is not a product and it is not for fish to live in (and they don't). José and the _Abovemarine_ engage our interest in the beauty and intelligence of these creatures. We are encouraged to ask questions that challenge our preconceived notions about fish and other living creatures. 'Does the fish have intention? Does the fish understand what he is doing? Do fish have memories?'"

If the 3-second memory thing is true, then maybe some tank collisions should be expected. See some images and a video of the project below.

www.ben-dror.com/the-abovemarine
@adambendror

Over a period of a few weeks I trained my Siamese fighting fish (Betta Splendens) José to jump out the water and get food off my finger. He also learnt to follow my hand as I moved it around the outside of his tank. The Abovemarine is a vehicle that enables José to roam on the land. This small freedom allows him to Interact with other species including humans and small animals. José is able to navigate around a room, as he swims backwards (stopping the Abovemarine) before hitting obstacles. 

There is a popular myth about fish, that they have a 3 second memory. I wonder whether the stories that we tell about other species say more about ourselves that they do about the other. Animal behavioural researchers for example design experiments to measure intelligence in other species. I imagine these rather as experiments of our own intelligence. Are we intelligent enough to design an experiment that proves the intelligence of the other to ourselves?

the Abovemarine

**_Project website: [www.ben-dror.com/the-](http://www.ben-dror.com/the-abovemarine)_**[](http://www.ben-dror.com/the-abovemarine)**_[abovemarine](http://www.ben-dror.com/the-abovemarine)_**

**_Process & Observations: [www.ben-dror.](http://www.ben-dror.com/the-abovemarine-process/)_**[**_com/the-abovemarine-process/_**](http://www.ben-dror.com/the-abovemarine-process/)

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The Abovemarine uses Omni wheels, a camera, and computer vision to let a fish steer its own tank.

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

An Artist Trained A Fish To Drive His Own Mobile Aquarium

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

An Artist Trained A Fish To Drive His Own Mobile Aquarium

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