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Ever wondered what it's like to be a fish, bird or horse? Well, the wait is over.

A range of immersive helmets that let you see the world though different animals' eyes, such as a chameleon's, have been created.

The metal devices use optical tricks to enable people to experience the hyper-stereo vision of a hammerhead shark, or the 357° view of a horse running in the Grand National.

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Carefully crafted metal helmets use optical tricks to let people experience the hyper-stereo vision of a hammerhead shark (pictured), or the 357° view a horse sees during the Grand National

Irish artists Clearly Connolly have spent years developing a series of aluminium helmets which explore 'the mysteries of visual perception'.

The helmets first went on display at the National Museum of Ireland in November and are now at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris until February.

Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly were inspired to make the helmets after exploring the pioneering experiments by psychologist George Malcolm Stratton in the early twentieth century.

He wore specially adapted glasses that inverted images up and down and left and right for over a week and discovered that the human brain could adapt to these new conditions.

Irish artists Clearly Connolly have spent years developing a series of hand-crafted aluminium helmets which explore 'the mysteries of visual perception.' Here, an individual tries on the horse helmet, which effectively puts their eyes on the side of their head so they can experience the 357° view as if they are a horse

Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly were inspired to make the helmets (an illustration is pictured) after exploring the pioneering experiments by psychologist George Malcolm Stratton in the early twentieth century

Bizarre metal helmet lets wearers see the world like a horse

The animal helmets are designed to make wearers question why humans see the world as we do and why our vision is so limited, while animals see their surroundings differently.

This is achieved by using carefully set up mirrors inside the helmets to direct the light into a person's eyeballs.

They work in a similar way to a periscope to achieve a desired effect, such as allowing someone to see backwards, or an elevated view, without raising their head.

The 'Meta-Perceptual Helmets' give humans the opportunity to experience the hyper-stereo vision of the hammerhead shark, so it is as if their eyes are spread much further apart.

In 2009, scientists discovered that despite the shark's distinctive head shape, including its protruding eyes, the animal actually see like a human using binocular vision, but with added benefits.

The predator also has stereo vision to enjoy a sweeping view of its surroundings, far superior to that of humans. 

These 'Meta-Perceptual Helmets' give humans the opportunity to experience the hyper-stereo vision of the hammerhead shark (pictured). Its wide set eyes allow the shark to see 360 degrees, which enables it to hunt prey such as squid that are able to propel themselves swiftly in any direction

While the hammerhead shark (stock image) has a large blind spot in the centre of its field of vision - in front of its head – it solves this by swinging its head form side-to-side as it swims, so it has a clear view all around itself, including above and below

Its wide set eyes allow the shark to see 360 degrees, which enables it to hunt prey such as squid that are able to propel themselves swiftly in any direction.

While the shark has a large blind spot in the centre of its field of vision - in front of its head – it solves this by swinging its head form side-to-side as it swims, so it has a clear view all around its body, including above and below.

Another shiny helmet lets wearers try the backward/forward vision of the chameleon, using metal 'spouts' coming up from the top of the helmet, with mirrors inside.

Chameleons arguably have the most distinctive eyes among reptiles, with a scaly cone-shaped lid and small round opening in the middle for a pupil. 

One of the helmets enables people to see like a chameleon. It is the not the first headset to be developed that allows humans to experience the sensation of seeing in two separate directions at one, as seen in this video 

One shiny helmet lets wearers try the backward/forward vision of the chameleon (left) which can focus its eyes independently to look at two objects at the same time, while another helmet gives the the viewpoint of a horse (right), which has a blind spot that humans may find frustrating

The sleek aluminium helmets, which were hand crafted by master coachbuilder Neil McKenzie, hide optics similar to those used in a periscope to 'bend' light and give different effects, such as seeing behind and at an elevated level. Here, the helmets are shown mid way through their production

The lizard can rotate and focus its eyes independently to look at two objects at the same time – something that is difficult and disorientating for wearers of the helmet.

This unusual ability gives the lizard a 360-degree view around its body and when it sees prey, it is able to focus both eyes in the same direction to get a clear view and accurately gauge its depth before launching its sticky tongue to catch a fly, for example.

A giraffe-inspired helmet gives wearers the feeling of being taller than they are, while another lets them explore the wide peripheral vision of a horse, including its challenging blind spot at the centre of its vision, as if their eyes are on the sides of their head.

The position of the horse's eyes affords the animal a wide, circular view so it can spot predators sneaking up behind it. 

Because its binocular vision - seeing with both eyes - is directed down its nose, the horse has a blind spot in front of its forehead.

But it has the largest eyes of all land mammals, so it can easily detect the tiniest of movements

The artists have also designed two helmets inspired by mythology and literature, allowing people to see the world through the eyes of the Cheshire cat from Alice and Wonderland (pictured) and Cyclops

The two helmets based on literature and mythology give people an imaginative experience of seeing in a bizarre way. A 16th century illustration of cyclops is pictures left, and an illustration of the Cheshire Cat, right

'The Cheshire Cat Helmet (a sketch is pictured) is so called because of the strange lingering effect of dominating visual information such as a smile or the eyes,' the artists explained

The artists have also designed two helmets inspired by mythology and literature, allowing people to see the world through the eyes of the Cheshire cat from Alice and Wonderland and Cyclops.

'The Cheshire Cat Helmet is so called because of the strange lingering effect of dominating visual information such as a smile or the eyes,' the artists explained, while 'the Cyclops allows one large central eye to take in the world around while a second tiny hidden eye focuses on a close up task.'

Ms Clearly and Mr Connolly explained: 'Wearing the helmets, the visitor becomes a hybrid creature himself, part human, part machine, part animal, but also: part work of art; a work of art that challenges those who contemplate the helmet - from the inside or from the outside - to take a new perspective on the world.'