Morgansen designed the robofish to explore the deepest depths of the ocean, as well as seek out other locations where the environment is deadly to human beings. They'll do this all without any intervention from people, other robots or even satellites. The group would perform just like an organic fish and form a school, with dominant personalities leading the way even if certain robofish received incomplete or garbled instructions.

"In schooling and herding animals, you can get much more efficient maneuvers and smoother behaviors than what we can do in engineering right now," Morgansen said. "The idea of these experiments [with schools of live fish] is to ask, 'How are they doing it?' and see if we can come up with some ideas."

Schooling also helps fight the effects of water on wireless communication. Optimal underwater data transfer rates are approximately 80 bytes, or about 32 numbers, per second, but the robofishes' simple two-command memory structure (swimming in the same direction or swimming in different directions) mean tasks get done anyway. The robots use fins and a tail, instead of a propeller, because they're more maneuverable and create lower drag. [University of Washington]

If you have to ask about pricing, well, you know the deal. We'll pass on this one, we just don't think it is very secure—those two mermaids escaped without even smashing the glass. Ridiculous. Hit the link for some more fishy-fun images. [BornRich]

Essentially, it looks like this is your basic reward system, with a special food wand making it easier to jam food right in your goldfish's face when it does something right. Of course, you can't scratch it behind the ears or take it for walks or go outside and play with it, but a coldhearted parent like you doesn't care about things like that, do you? [R2 Fish School]

Ippon Zuri, which means pole-and-line fishing, is available to DoCoMo subscribers in the town of Fukuoka, and was created by local system development company FIT, who teamed up with a local fish wholesaler. Gamers pay 1,000¥ (a little under 10 bucks) for three games, in which they cast to all kinds of seafood, from crab to sea bream in the hope of hooking them.

If successful, the player then has an encounter with a slot machine and, should he get lucky with three matching numbers, then the fish is reeled in, the seafood supplier contacted and, ta-daa, it's fish for supper. [Pink Tentacle]

Actually, the poor fishies will experience six minutes of weightlessness in order to see how they handle motion sickness. Apparently, they get motion sick just like people, and it's easier to study the effects on them than it is on people as you can, you know, kill the fish and fiddle around with their insides when you're done with them. After which you can sauté them up and serve them with fresh country vegetables, which is the perfect way to end any long day of ridiculous experimenting. [The Register]

These things are pretty thin, but depending on how long you order yours to be, it can hold between 55 and 73 gallons of water (fresh or salt, depending on your preference). A nice touch is being able to keep the external filtration system up to 15 feet away, keeping the tank itself nice and pristine. You'll pay dearly, however, as these bad boys will run you between $4,900 and $8,400, and that's before you start buying fish for the damned thing. [Product Page via Dvice]

Melbourne Aquarium officials say the Betta fish sold with the iPond need a 10 liter tank to swim and get a proper amount of oxygen, but the iPond's tank is only 650 milliliters. Acoustics experts also say sound from the speaker, which is built into the bottom of the iPond, could transfer into the fish tank, bringing up another potential hazard.

But even if Aussies are ambivalent to bleeding heart animal rights activists, they should still avoid the iPond because it looks like a cheap piece of garbage selling for an inflated 70 Australian Dollars (60 USD). [Sydney Morning Herald]

It can show films, video games or even photos uploaded by visitors, but most of the time it plays animations like swimming fish—all that space and what do they use it for? Screensavers. [LED Magazine]

[Fish Pen]

Happy Fish Speaker [Brando]

Better tuck this sucker away somewhere so you don't accidentally step on it. Check out the site for a variety of fish-inspired oddities. – Charlie White

More fishy stuff [Novmichi, via Spluch]

Sure, the concept is simply a vase stuck in a bowl, but it's executed with grace and that counts for a lot. Now where should we stick our treasure chest/diver/topless mermaid bubbler? – Mark Wilson

5.5 Home [via core77]

If you ask me, this is a dangerous precedence. First we help fish roll around on land, next we're going to teach monkeys how to fly and use firearms. Why don't we just hand over the keys to our civilization already? – Jason Chen

Terranaut - Fish Explore Land With Robotic Vehicle [Technovelgy]

Product Page [Via Coolest Gadgets]

Do you feel attached to your carp? Perhaps you'd like to dip it in ink, rub it on paper, and create a special "memento" of your fish. If so, the Japanese performance-art-manufacturing group maywa denki has the complete kit for you. They've also applied their fish obsession to musical instruments, with a carp-shaped glass armonica (the 18th-century instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin), a beat box in the shape of a carp (look out, Roland), and a "winged" musical device with electronic finger snappers, in case your thumb is tired. These appear to run on batteries, but you can plug in your traditional, non fish-themed hardware using a fish bone extension cord. And if you actually can't stand fish, there's even a fish swatter. – Peter Kirn

Bizarre Fish-Themed Gadgets, Musical Instruments [Create Digital Music]

Yep, you read that right. This is a USB-powered lamp .. that is also an aquarium. Yep, you guessed it right again, this is another strange device from the Japanese weird-stuff manufacturer, Thanko. Unfortunately, it isn't a real aquarium. Rather it houses two fake fish that just float and bob around. The lamp itself has 17 LEDs that comes in green, blue or red. It will set you back roughly $21 and will likely make the ladies (or guys) weak at the knees. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Everything USB]

Toshiba fish shaped MP3 player [Newlaunches]

New breed of 'fish-bot' unveiled [BBC News]