2016 First prize
Mathew T. Harrison and Gideon P. Caplovitz : “Motion Integration Unleashed: New Tricks for an Old Dog”. University of Nevada Reno, USA
Previous illusions have demonstrated that drifting Gabors that translate across the visual field can appear to move in the wrong direction (i.e. in a direction that is different than the actual translation). Here we show that configurations of drifting Gabors that are stationary can give rise to dramatic global motion percepts: a rotating square, oscillating chopsticks and rolling waves. Although the Gabors themselves are not changing position, the drifting motion within them causes the illusion that the entire configuration is moving!