The Honeycomb Illusion

Finalist of the Best Illusion of the Year Contest 2015

Marco Bertamini and Nicola Bruno: The Honeycomb Illusion. University of Liverpool (UK)

The honeycomb illusion is about how we see a texture that extends in front of us. It is useful therefore to see it on a reasonably large screen. Small segments (barbs) are added to the intersection of a regular grid (honeycomb). They are perfectly visible where you fixate, but everywhere else they disappear. Move your gaze, and now the barbs are visible in a new location, and no longer where you were fixating a moment ago. (Fine details are not well preserved in a compressed video, so please excuse the imperfections. Voice by Giulia Rampone).