Here, disguising speed could make the difference between a near miss and a direct hit,” lead research Joanna Hall and colleagues explain.Īcross seven experiments, participants were shown a target rectangle, roughly corresponding to the size of a Land Rover viewed from a distance of 70 meters, “a typical distance between a rocket propelled grenade launcher and its target.” Each of these test targets was wholly or partially covered by a patch of dazzle camouflage: a pattern of flowing stripes was superimposed over the target. For instance, moving vehicles are vulnerable to handheld weapons fired from short ranges. “Although navies are generally no longer reliant on the human visual system to detect and target other vessels, there are other scenarios where a dazzle strategy may still provide a useful benefit. In a recent study published in PLoS ONE, a team of researchers from the CamoLab at the University of Bristol concluded that this style of nature-inspired camouflage really can dazzle our senses, ultimately skewing our perceptions of an object’s speed. “This so-called dazzle coloration was often a combination of different patterns including stripes (vertical, horizontal and diagonal), checks, zigzags and some less regular shapes.” “omplex high contrast patterns were used on ships during both World Wars with the aim of disguising properties such as the direction, size, shape, range and speed of the moving target,” the researchers write. Instead of attempting to hide from view, the idea was that “razzle dazzle” patterns would make it difficult for the enemy to accurately gauge a ship’s position - misleading rather than hiding.Īlthough both American and British warships were painted with psychedelic zebra-stripe patterns based on this theory, it was never conclusively shown that the razzle dazzle stripes helped the ships elude enemy fire.
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