Video Illusions
Optical illusions help us understand how the brain works.
Charlie Chaplin illusion
Depth perception can be upset when rules and knowledge are in conflict. In this video clip, the rear of a mask of Charlie Chaplin is hollow, but can appear convex like a normal face. Watch the movie and listen to Professor Richard Gregory's excellent commentary.
- QuickTime Chaplin movie High res [8MB]
- QuickTime Chaplin movie Low res [1MB]
- Windows Media Player Chaplin movie Low res [1.85MB]
If you like this, have a look at Professor Gregory's illusions website for more.
The eyes have it
We may think our gaze is steady but in fact our eyes are constantly darting around. We are totally unaware of these eye movements, known as saccades. Our eyes are continuously 'sampling' a scene – as revealed by experiments with eye-trackers, which can monitor where our gaze is directed (in this case at parts of a portrait of Sir Henry Wellcome, the founder of the Wellcome Trust's). The brain integrates this complex visual input, creating an internal representation of the external world.