Friday Illusion: Trippy dots do the wave

Caitlin Stier, video intern

At first, it looks like an ordinary pattern of dots on a sheet of paper (see video above). But focus on the rolling candle in front of it and suddenly they start to do the wave. The illusion, developed by Greg Ross of Greeenpro Productions in Pennsylvania, is a variation on a trippy rotating snake pattern created by psychologist Akiyoshi Kitaoka from Ritsumeikan University. Ross used software to produce the specific arrangement of black and white dots.

According to psychologist Simone Gori of the University of Padua, the difference in contrast within each dot is key for the illusion to work.? When the pattern is combined with eye movement as another object is tracked, a wave-like motion is perceived which always proceeds from dark regions to lighter ones.

Although the effect is known to be stronger when the pattern appears in our peripheral vision, researchers still don't know exactly why we perceive this brain trick. After viewing the rotating snake pattern for a few seconds, many viewers stop seeing the rotation once their eyes have adapted to the image.

Did the illusion work for you?? Do you have any ideas about why our brain perceives the phantom motion?? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you enjoyed this mind trick, watch another stationary pattern come to life or check out an image that seems to wobble.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/194919bf/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A110C10A0Cfriday0Eillusion0Eprinted0Edot0Epattern0Edoes0Ethe0Ewave0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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