Random Dot Kinematogram
Hiding in plain sight: how motion defines shape.
🧐 What do you see?▼
Look at the field of dots. When the animation starts, you will see a square shape drifting in the center.Pause the animation. The square disappears instantly.
🧠 Why this works▼
This is Structure-from-Motion (SfM). In a static 2D image, there is no difference between the dots in the square and the background. However, when the central dots move Coherently (all in one direction) while the others move randomly, the brain'sMotion Integration circuits automatically group the coherent dots together, "creating" a boundary.
🧪 Try variations▼
Lower the Speed. As the movement slows, the square becomes harder to distinguish from the background noise, demonstrating the threshold of our motion perception.