This Expanding Coil Illusion is a type of optical illusion known as a peripheral drift illusion which creates the impression of motion in a static image. In the expanding coil illusion the static image appears to be expanding or contracting, even though the image itself is not changing.
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Table of Contents
- What is the Expanding Coil Illusion?
- How does the Expanding Coil Illusion?
- Some Similar Illusions
- References and Resources
What is the Expanding Coil Illusion?
This Expanding Coil Illusion is a type of optical illusion known as a peripheral drift illusion which creates the impression of motion in a static image. In the expanding coil illusion the static image appears to be expanding or contracting, even though the image itself is not changing.
The expanding coil illusion is a static image that appears to be expanding or contracting, even though the image itself is not changing. The illusion is created by a pattern of shapes that are arranged in a spiral or coil pattern. When you look at the image, it appears to be expanding and contracting as if it were a three-dimensional object.
The illusion is caused by the way our brains process visual information. The illusion is similar to other optical illusions that use patterns and lines to create the impression of motion, such as the Rotating Snakes illusion and the Barberpole illusion.
The expanding coil illusion is a fascinating example of how our perceptions can be influenced by visual cues and how our brains can create the impression of motion and depth from static images.
How does the Expanding Coil Illusion work?
The expanding coil illusion works by exploiting the way our brains interpret visual information. The pattern of squares in the image is arranged in a spiral or coil pattern, which creates an impression of depth and perspective. When we look at the image, our brains interpret this depth and perspective as motion, which creates the illusion of expansion and contraction.
One way to understand this is to think about how our brains interpret motion in the real world. When we see an object moving towards us, it appears to grow larger, and when it moves away from us, it appears to shrink. Our brains use this information to interpret the motion of objects in our environment.
In the case of the expanding coil illusion, the pattern of squares is arranged in a way that creates the impression of depth and perspective, which our brains interpret as motion. This creates the illusion that the image is expanding and contracting, even though it is not actually changing.
It’s worth noting that the expanding coil illusion is similar to other optical illusions that use patterns and lines to create the impression of motion, such as the Rotating Snakes illusion and the Barberpole illusion. All of these illusions work by exploiting the way our brains interpret visual information, and they provide fascinating insights into the workings of the human mind.
Some Similar Illusions
There are many other optical illusions that rely on similar principles to the Expanding Coil Illusion. Here are a few examples:
- The Pinwheel Tiling illusion: This illusion features a series of overlapping circles with curved lines, which create the impression of rotating pinwheels.
- The Cafe Wall illusion: This illusion features a series of black and white horizontal lines that appear to be tilted due to the way that the lines and spaces between them are arranged.
- The Rotating Snakes illusion: This illusion features a series of concentric circles with curved lines that create the impression of rotating snakes.
- The Hermann Grid illusion: This illusion features a grid of black squares with white spaces in between, where gray dots appear at the intersections of the white spaces. These dots seem to disappear when the eye moves to look directly at them.
- The Motion Aftereffect illusion: This illusion occurs when the eye becomes adapted to looking at a moving stimulus, and then looks at a stationary scene which appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
- Rotating Ferris Wheel Illusion: This Rotating Ferris Wheel Illusion is a peripheral drift illusion. The Ferris wheel appears to rotate, but the image is completely static
All of these illusions rely on manipulating our perception of edges, contrast, and motion to create a visual experience that differs from the reality of the image itself.
References and Resources
In addition to the Expanding Coil Illusion, check out our complete list of illusions.