In a new experiment, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have successfully manipulated the human eye to perceive a brand-new color. According to Berkeley News, a highly saturated blue-green they’ve named ‘olo’.
This new color, unseen before by human eyes, was created using a new technique called “Oz,” which employs tiny laser pulses to individually control up to 1,000 photoreceptors in the eye.
Five participants experienced ‘olo’, describing it as a blue-green or peacock green hue, significantly more saturated than any naturally occurring color. Further tests confirmed that ‘olo’ lies outside the boundaries of normal human color vision.
The ‘Oz’ technology, which made this discovery possible, holds immense potential. It could be used to:
- Replicate the effects of various eye diseases to better understand vision loss.
- Simulate full-color vision for color-blind individuals.
- Study and potentially treat color blindness.
- Explore the experience of having a fourth type of cone cell.
- Model various eye diseases.
- Potentially enhance everyday color displays in devices like TVs and phones.
While ‘olo’ is not something most people will experience anytime soon, this research opens new doors in vision science and our understanding of color perception.