If you own a dog or cat, there are already internet-controlled camera-toting devices that you let you check in on them while you're away from home. However, what if you have fish? Well, that's where MOAI comes in. It's a self-propelled glass-cleaning device that has a built-in HD camera, allowing you to sneak peeks at fish in different parts of your tank when you're not there to do so in person.
Like regular "manual" glass cleaners, MOAI consists of two parts – a unit located on the outside of the glass, and a corresponding bar on the inside of the glass with an algae-scrubbing pad attached to the front. The two are attracted to one another through the glass via built-in magnets, so that when the outside unit is moved, the bar moves with it, scouring away the algae.
One of the things that's different about MOAI, though, is the fact that the outside unit is motorized – it's a robot, essentially. Instead of being pulled back and forth across the glass by hand, it moves automatically, on its own. Users can set up a cleaning schedule via an accompanying iOS/Android app on their smartphone.
Additionally, the robot has an integrated 1080p camera that looks into the aquarium through the glass, below the bar. Because the device is linked to the home's Wi-Fi network, users can view real-time output of that camera on the app, wherever they happen to be (as long as they've got internet access).
They can watch from the unit as it moves along on its own, or they can use the app to move it up/down/left/right manually. It's also possible to save certain locations on the front of the tank as favorites, which the robot can subsequently be sent to for optimum fish-viewing. If users see something they like, they can snap stills or record video.
When the unit's battery gets low, it automatically returns to a charging dock located on the front of the aquarium. But no, in case you're wondering, it can't go around onto the sides or back of the tank – it would have to be placed there by hand.
MOAI is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where a pledge of US$199 is required to get a complete system. If all goes according to plans, delivery is planned for next May. The estimated retail price is $299.
Sources: MOAI, Kickstarter
