Black Blob Illusion

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This is the Black Blob illusion created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka.

It is a visual illusion that features a circular black shape on top of a black and white checkerboard pattern. When viewed, the black blog appears to “bleed” into the surrounding space, creating the illusion of a black blob that is growing.

Stare at the back blob in the center of the image and slowly watch it expand and consume more and more of the surrounding design.

After checking out the illusion, scroll down to learn a bit more about how it works.

Black Blob Illusion
Created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka


Table of Contents

What is the Black Blob Illusion?

The “Black Blob” illusion is a visual illusion that features a circular black shape on top of a black and white checkerboard pattern.

When viewed, the blob appears to “bleed” into the surrounding checkerboard area, creating the illusion of a growing blob.

This illusion is an example of how our brain processes visual information and can be influenced by context and surrounding stimuli.

How does the Black Blob Illusion Work?

The “Black Blob” illusion works because of a phenomenon called lateral inhibition, which is a process by which neurons in the retina and visual system inhibit the activity of their neighboring neurons. This process allows our eyes and brain to detect edges and boundaries between different regions of light and dark.

In the case of the Black Blob illusion, the black and white checkerboard pattern in the center of the image creates a high contrast boundary that triggers lateral inhibition. This means that the neurons responsible for detecting the black and white areas of the checkerboard pattern inhibit the activity of their neighboring neurons in the white background.

As a result, the white background appears to be darker than it actually is, which creates the illusion of a black blob around the edges of the checkerboard pattern. This effect is enhanced by the fact that the black and white pattern is circular, which reinforces the perception of a circular boundary between light and dark.

Overall, the illusion is a fascinating example of how our brain processes visual information and how our perception can be influenced by surrounding stimuli.

Some Similar Illusions

There are many similar illusions to the “Black Blob” illusion that demonstrate how our perception can be influenced by context and surrounding stimuli. Here are a few examples:

  1. Mach bands: Mach bands are a phenomenon where our eyes exaggerate the contrast between adjacent areas of light and dark. This creates the illusion of stripes or bands of light and dark around the edges of objects.
  2. White’s illusion: White’s illusion is a geometric illusion where two identical gray squares are surrounded by different shades of gray. This creates the illusion that the two squares are different shades of gray, when in fact they are the same.
  3. Kanizsa triangle: The Kanizsa triangle is an illusion where three Pac-Man-like shapes arranged in a triangle create the perception of a white triangle in the center. However, there is no actual triangle there; it is an illusion created by the surrounding shapes.
  4. Hering illusion: The Hering illusion is a visual illusion where straight lines appear curved when they are placed on a background of parallel lines.
  5. Ebbinghaus illusion: The Ebbinghaus illusion is a size illusion where a circle appears larger or smaller depending on the size of the surrounding circles.

These illusions, like the “Black Blob” illusion, demonstrate how our perception can be influenced by context, surrounding stimuli, and the way our brain processes visual information.

Discovery of the Black Blob Illusion

This illusion was created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka.

Akiyoshi Kitaoka is a Japanese psychologist and professor of psychology at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.

He is known for his research on visual perception, particularly his work on optical illusions and visual art. Kitaoka has created a number of famous optical illusions, including the “Black Blob” illusion and the “Rotating Snakes” illusion.

He has also published numerous scientific papers on visual perception and optical illusions, and his work has been featured in various scientific and popular media outlets.

Kitaoka’s contributions to the field of visual perception have helped to deepen our understanding of how the brain processes visual information and how our perception can be influenced by context and surrounding stimuli.


References and Resources

Check out our complete list of illusions.