Experiments demonstrate the efficacy of dazzle camouflage

The study represents the first scientific proof that so-called ‘dazzle camouflage’, used in the First World War and Second World War, can in some instances be effective.

Our perception of speed is affected by many disparate factors: for example, larger objects appear to move more slowly than smaller objects; changes in contrast alter perceived speed; and differently oriented textures can be seen as moving at different speeds. 

In a set of experiments, Dr Scott-Samuel from the University of Bristol showed participants two moving patterns on a computer screen and asked them to report which one moved faster. 

One pattern was always plain and the other was selected from a typical range of textures used in dazzle camouflage: stripes, zigzags and checks. The stimuli moved either slowly or quickly, and could be either low or high contrast.

When moving quickly, two of the high-contrast patterns caused a significant reduction in perceived speed of around seven per cent. These patterns — zigzags and checks — were two-dimensional, in contrast to the other, one-dimensional, patterns tested.