Stunning optical illusion leaves viewers perplexed

MOST people can’t tell which way these stairs lead in this amazing optical illusion.

The 3D Schröder Staircase is a reinterpretation of the traditional 2D image.

1

A staircase can be seen from above, but can also be seen from below if the image is turned upside down.

In the 3D object, which also has two interpretations, the stairs can be seen from above, but then the interpretation changes when the object is rotated 180 degrees.

When an object is placed on the top step, it suddenly looks like it’s on the bottom step when the stair is rotated.

The image won the Illusion of the Year award in the 2020 Best Illusion of the Year competition.

A video showing the illusion was posted on YouTube and received over 2 million views and hundreds of comments.

“Angry,” wrote one person. “I watched it about 10 times, trying to focus, [sic] to hold the starting position. And every time it says “Oops, missed”. Fantastic.”

Another wrote: “It’s so interesting how our brains process this simple graphic information and interpret it in so many different ways without us really noticing…

“And amazing how a human brain can invent these illusions!”

“I was looking at the stairs as they were upside down and I blinked and they looked normal, god my brain exploded,” wrote a third person.

Last month, a brilliant optical illusion showed a chess queen covered by a “camouflage cloak.”

And an optical illusion house distracts drivers as it appears to be rotating thanks to clever design.

Meanwhile, a stunning teaser depicting an elephant or a village claims to reveal a lot about a person’s personality.

And a stunning illusion featuring 16 hidden animal and human faces will test viewers’ eyesight and patience.