A few figures showing different color interactions. Most visual illusions work when a person simply looks at them, and historically most illusions have been of this sort. But recently, several illusions have been reported in which the illusion only occurs if some activity takes place. To have what should be a stable part of the environment all of a sudden change when one moves has to be rather disconcerting and is something worthy of study.

New illusory examples we present are closest to the illusions of Gori and Stubbs since there are illusory changes in brightness as one moves back and forth towards the figure. In the different examples below, forward or backward motion produce changes in brightness across different portions of a figure like a moving wave or waves of light depending on the specific example. These changes typically occur in the periphery.

 

Illusory changes occur with many examples that are both relatively simple or also more complex. The waves occur when the gradients all change in one direction or several different directions.

 

 

The waves occur when the gradients all change in one direction or several different directions.

 

 

The illusion works equally well for grayscale images and for those using different colors.

 

 

Initially, all of our figures used square elements with gradients. But, the illusory light waves also occur with circles and with other forms . And, the illusory effects occur with dark as well as light backgrounds and grounds of different hues, and even when different colored grounds are intermixed in a figure. We should also point out that the waves of light illusion works on printed paper, and is not a new effect that results from the greater dynamic range of computer screens.

 

 

 

Although the waves of light illusion has some similarities with the illusions of Gori and Stubbs (2006), the illusory effects shown here go well beyond those in the breathing light or dynamic luminance change both in their complexity and in their variety.