Radial Zoom Burst Illusion
Experience the sensation of high-speed travel through a tunnel of light.
🧐 What do you see?▼
Stare at the center. You likely see rays of light "bursting" toward you or "sucking" away. The motion feels fragmented yet continuous, similar to a strobe light in a dark room.
🧠 Why this works▼
This illusion leverages radial motion cues. Our brains are highly sensitive to objects expanding from a central point, as this usually signifies that we are moving forward (the "Expansion Point" in flight).
The Radial Zoom Burst uses discontinuous line segments that shift in radius. Because they all follow a ray path from the center, the brain's optical flow processors group them together into a single "forward motion" concept.
🧪 Try variations▼
- Focus on the edges: The motion may seem to "freeze" if you don't look directly at the center.
- High speed: At max speed, it resembles a "warp drive" effect from sci-fi movies.
❓ FAQ▼
Is this related to the 'Warp Speed' effect?
Yes. That effect is a literal representation of optical flow where stars appear as streaks (star-trails) radiating from a central vanishing point.