mister

A tiny pump delivers water to outside lid of a container where it follows channels to pockets that soak and and drop the water back to the reservoir filling the container with mist for a period.

Fine. What's the point?

It is the design of an Aerogarden. The water contains nutrients. The pockets contains first  seeds inside a light sponge suspended from the lid and later a plant with roots growing out of it down inside the container. The nutrients grow the plant. The mist keeps roots moist without soaking and makes nutrients immediately available. 

An automatic light is not shown. Program cycles of light and pump for different type plants are not shown. Pods to hold sponge, seed, then plant are not shown. Just the pump.

It's smaller than most aquarium air pumps. It's a tiny thing. Replacements are inexpensive.

The idea is roots grow in the mist after being soaked. The reality is they grow all the way to bottom and soak in the water. I guess they can be trimmed but nobody does. The bowl inevitably become a mess. Larger hydroponics go on the same idea. They soak the roots regularly and hold them in nutrient rich mist, cycling throughout the day.