TODDLER HILARIOUSLY REACTS TO IMMERSIVE 3D EXPERIENCE
Technology has allowed us to be more creative in exhibitions and entertainment. If 3D graphics only existed on computer screens 25 years ago, today it can be a full 360-degree experience. Such works are wonderful, but it can still be difficult for our brains to fully understand them, regardless of our age. A very cute video of a group of young children approaching an interactive environment has gone viral and we can't help but empathise with them.
In the clip, three children, led by a very inquisitive toddler, struggle to stand on their feet as the images rapidly change in the immersive space. The scene appears to depict a rocky landscape. When the video on the website first picks up speed and the image sinks and shifts sideways, the two children lose their balance even though the ground beneath them remains perfectly still. The little one gets up again and tries to stay still while the video seems to slide at a constant speed, as if it were on a moving track. However, as soon as the video on the interactive screen accelerates even further, the children fall again.
As delightful as it is to watch children respond to this, this scene is a great example of how our brains process stimuli. As one Redditor explains, “Your eyes mess with your balance[.] You try to take the visual information and process it before your inner ear which in this case isn't being activated[,] so the eyes cause the body to react to a stimulus that isn't actually affecting the inner ear.”
Another commenter added that the video depicts the human brain showing its pattern recognition skills. “Just like how you can look at optical illusions and see movement in a static image[,] here, their brains are processing acceleration in a moving image with no mass. There would probably be more reason for concern if they didn't react at all in this scenario.” While it may look like an age thing, it is not, as one user wrote. “This happens to fully grown adults in these projections. It's almost impossible to not ‘overcorrect' your balance.” Some others chimed in with similar experiences. "When I first played with my VR headset, I fell off the chair on my side," said one person. "It's weird to move with the mouse/keyboard. It turns out that your visual input will completely replace any other input.” It's unclear where the video was filmed, but one thing is clear: these dizzying experiences appear to be universal. For some, you don't even have to be physically present to experience the video's snappy movements, as one Reddit user cheekily said, "I fell off my chair watching this."
Trying not to fall over in a 3D wrap around visual booth pic.twitter.com/NCY7LbeP7f
— Interesting Videos (@EngagingVids) April 10, 2023