2012 Best Illusion of the Year Contest

An illusion made ​​by a professor of psychology in the UK was ranked first in the 2012 edition of the contest "Best Illusion of the Year". Trick designed by Roger Newport and colleagues at Nottingham University leads people to believe that they left without a hand.

The illusion is based on a discovery made ​​10 years ago, when researchers gave volunteers realize they can persuade to believe that a rubber hand is their own, combining the senses of sight and touch. Newport's team wondered whether the illusion can also work the other way, making the participants to believe that his hand was gone.

Result of the effort of researchers is a device called MIRAGE, a box in which volunteers put their hands. Hand screen is located above the projecting arms with two blue lines. During the experiment, the lines move, and move their arms should volunteer not to touch the blue lines.

Volunteers do not they realize that the screen design accurately what is happening with their hands below the screen, so that in time they will move their hands more than aware, and the display they will remain motionless. After a while, one hand disappears, successfully simulating the feeling of "losing hand" you have patients who suffer a stroke.

Here is the video that captures the illusion of action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qcm0_QPhLe4

The No. 2 ranked illusion "When Pretty Girls Turn Ugly" performed by Jason Tangen, Sean Murphy and Matthew Thompson of the University of Queensland in Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM6lGNhPujE&feature=player_embedded

Last place of the podium was occupied by illusion "Color Wagon Wheel", performed by Arthur Shapiro, William Kistler and Alex Rose-Henig at the American University in the U.S




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