| Wall decors come in many kinds. Traditional ones | | | | which swings in and out from the plaque; and the |
| include sculptures, emblems, beautiful paintings, or | | | | mouth, which opens and closes to simulate singing. |
| mosaics. A more contemporary home may have | | | | The movement is caused by automatically |
| a colorful, artful display of lights projected into the | | | | alternating the application of power. When power |
| wall. | | | | is applied, the motors move the tail forward, the |
| However, there are other kinds of wall decors | | | | body outward, and the jaws open. When power is |
| that are less than traditional. We've seen an entire | | | | turned off, all the parts go back into the default |
| wall as an aquarium, for example, with lots of | | | | position. The motors are synchronized with the |
| colorful fish swimming in it. One of the most | | | | pre-recorded music. The motors allow the fish to |
| unusual wall decors is the singing fish, which has | | | | move in relatively complex patterns. |
| gained popularity in the United States. A singing | | | | The second component of the singing fish is |
| fish looks like a large stuffed bass or a trout | | | | housed in the plaque. It consists of the speaker, a |
| mounted on a wall plaque. When someone walks | | | | battery pack, and an on-and-off switch. More |
| near it, it starts to wriggle, swing its head out, and | | | | importantly, it houses the brain of the singing |
| lip syncs to a popular pre-recorded song, a clip | | | | fish-a photocell and a circuit board that contains |
| that is usually thirty seconds long. For many | | | | the controller chip, the integrated circuit, or IC, |
| viewers, it will come out as a funny surprise. | | | | which contains the prerecorded music in a digital |
| Singing fishes are now a fad in the country, | | | | format and programmed synchronization, and |
| available in mall stores, in a flea market, on | | | | sound amplifiers. |
| television, or in the Internet. Sales are quite high | | | | There is also an electric motor housed in the base |
| that many stores often run out of stock to sell. | | | | of this unusual nautical wall décor. The |
| It might look like a ridiculous nautical wall | | | | motor allows the entire front end of the fish to |
| décor, but it is actually a more than that. | | | | swing out of the plaque so its face points toward |
| The fish and the plaque are actually two parts of | | | | the viewer. |
| a simple robot. How exactly does this unusual | | | | The photoreceptor cell near the bottom of the |
| nautical wall decor work? | | | | fish is a cool thing that acts like a switch. When a |
| The fish itself is a very simple robot. It is | | | | person passes near it, light is blocked, which |
| powered by its own battery. Foam padding is | | | | signals the IC to begin its sequence. The fish then |
| used as the filling stuff, which is wrapped around | | | | begins to sing. The speaker behind the base |
| by articulated plastic segments of the fish. The | | | | reproduces the digitized sound sent from the IC. |
| entire framework is articulated by three small DC | | | | The singing fish is not really useful, but it is a |
| motors. The motors power three parts of the | | | | unique wall décor that never fails to put a |
| fish-the tail, which flaps back and forth; the body, | | | | smile on anyone. |