Once again, we are at that time of year when we can see the results of the famous Illusion of the Year contest, which selects the best optical illusions. Prepare your eyes and your brain, because the three winning illusions of 2016 will leave you confused, amazed, and delighted. From circles that “flow and do not move” to nonexistent birds flying in the opposite direction, these are three minutes you cannot miss.
They confuse, entertain, irritate, provide answers, and create more questions. Optical illusions reach us as a simple meme, a viral video, or a scientific discovery, but the point remains the same: the eyes-brain relationship is not what it seems. So what better idea than organizing a contest? The first time we talked about Illusion of the Year was in 2014, and even then our brains were melted. The 2016 edition has its winners; however, I'm going to say something a bit controversial: I don't agree with the result.
Third Place: Silhouette Zoetrope
Let's start with the third place, “Silhouette Zoetrope”, by Christine Veras from Nanyang Technological University. The concept of a “zoetrope” is a true classic of optical illusions... but it's still great:
Second Place: Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion
We quickly reach the point of controversy, because the second place, in my humble opinion, should have won. “Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion” was created by Kokichi Sugihara from Meiji University in Japan. Rectangles that become circles, circles that become rectangles, interlocking figures that appear separated... I cannot explain it precisely; you have to see the video.
First Place: Motion Integration Unleashed
The first prize went to Mathew T. Harrison and Gideon P. Caplovitz from the University of Nevada, with their illusion “Motion Integration Unleashed: New Tricks for an Old Dog”. In essence, the circles (technically “Gabor elements”) are flowing, but they do not move. Depending on the direction and speed of the flow, our brain “insists” that the circles form moving shapes, when they do not.
My Take on the Results
The official Illusion of the Year channel on YouTube posted videos of all the participants, but considering the number of views Sugihara's work received, I am going to invoke a boxing term and say that “the judges got the scorecards wrong”. Do you agree or not? Leave a comment.
