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5d ago

Scientists Use Lasers to Reveal a New Color Outside Human Vision

The color, called 'olo,' is a hyper-saturated blue-green created by targeting individual retinal cells, sparking debate over its novelty and potential applications.

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UC Berkeley scientists created a new platform called “Oz” that directly controls up to 1,000 photoreceptors in the eye at once, providing new insight into the nature of human sight and vision loss. In this photo, Oz creator Austin Roorda, a professor of optometry and vision science at UC Berkeley, demonstrates what it looks like to be part of the Oz experiment. (Credit: UC Berkeley)
Using a new technique called “Oz,” scientists at UC Berkeley can trick the eye into seeing images, videos and even a brand new color — a profoundly saturated peacock green that they named “olo.”

Overview

  • Researchers at UC Berkeley and the University of Washington used a laser-based system, Oz, to exclusively stimulate medium-wavelength cone cells in the retina, producing the perception of a new color called 'olo.'
  • Participants described 'olo' as a hyper-saturated blue-green hue that cannot be reproduced on conventional displays or seen without the Oz system.
  • The discovery has divided experts, with some praising it as groundbreaking for vision science and others arguing it is an intensified variant of existing colors.
  • The perception of 'olo' is fleeting, requiring precise laser targeting and motionless participants, and the technology is far from consumer-ready.
  • Researchers are planning follow-up studies to explore potential applications for color blindness therapies and retinal disease treatments.