To complement the Vision Sciences Society’s annual meeting in Naples, Florida, some folks organized the 4th Annual Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest. Below is the winning entry from Arthur Shapiro, a professor at Bucknell University, as chosen by a bunch of psychologists and neuroscientists. Play the video and initially watch how the rotating sphere moves in a straight line down the page. Then focus your eyes on the blue dot on the right while paying attention to how the rotating sphere seemingly changes its flight path. Now think about hitting curve balls pitched at nearly 100 miles per hour that exhibit this phenomenon.
Link to the rest of the winning (and not winning, but still impressive) entries…