Cleaner fish do as their name suggests: with their sucking mouths, they eat algae and leftover food, cleaning up aquariums. A simple yet original invention has been competing with these animals for some time: the aquarium glass cleaner from Dutch company Bakker Magnetics was developed and manufactured over 50 years ago under the name Mag-Float. The really clever part: the two magnetic sections, which are attached to the aquarium glass, have a little air inside them. This way, the magnet cannot accidentally fall to the bottom of the aquarium as it always floats back to the water’s surface. This keeps the glass clean and the owner’s sleeves dry.
Attractive effect
The idea behind the Mag-Float is simple – and at the same time so original that it was copied many times in the early days. Product piracy was especially common at zoo fairs. Today, the Mag-Float is well established in the market. The company has greatly expanded its position in this field by granting licenses, demonstrating how a relatively simple invention can become commercially successful thanks to IP protection.
(Header image: hedgehog94 – AdobeStock.com, detail: boedefeld1969 – AdobeStock.com)
