This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
On Monday May 13th, the Neural Correlate Society hosted the 9th annual Best Illusion of the Year Contest in Naples, Florida. Out of the ten finalist competitors, the Best Illusion of the Year title went to “Rotation Generated by Translation”, an illusion developed by a team of mathematicians and illusion creators from Meiji University in Japan. The winning illusion consists of the perception of apparent rotation from straight translational motion. Just as shocking, Jun Ono, the lead illusionist from the Japanese team, presented the illusion in full Batman attire, cape and mask included.
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