Olo is described as a “new color” that scientists argue that they have allowed people to see – the one who looks like nothing in our daily visual experience. It is described as an intensely saturated greenish blue, brought to life using a new technique which stimulates the photoreceptors of the eye in an unconventional way.
“We call this new color” olo “”, write the authors of the study.
But can it really be considered a “new color” as researchers are boldly claiming it? The three components of color are shade, saturation (or chroma) and value (or brightness). The study suggests that Olo appears with a unique saturation, but its shade remains firmly within the reach of blue-green. Anyway, we will leave this debate for colors scientists and the comments section for the moment. Whatever the definition, those who have seen Olo say that it offers a subtly unknown visual experience.
“The subjects report that Olo in our prototype system appears blue-green of unprecedented saturation, when seen in relation to a neutral gray background.
“Color names are volunteer for Olo include” Teal “,” Green “”blue-green“And” green, a little blue “. The subjects systematically evaluate the saturation of OLO as 4 out of 4, compared to an average note of 2.9 for the almost monochromatic colors of the matching shade, “it continues.
With red as an example, this diagram shows the three components of color: shade, saturation (or chroma) and value (or brightness).
Image credit: Sandy Storm / Shutterstock.com
Color is a perception that we live when certain electromagnetic radiation wavelengths stimulate the conical cells of our retina, sending signals to the brain. Coating at the back of our eye globe, we have three types of cone photoreceptors: the short wavelength (s), the medium wavelength (m) and the long wavelength (L), each with spectral sensitivities that overlap.
Due to this overlap, any length of given light wave stimulates at least two types of cones simultaneously, which limits the beach and the saturation of the colors that we can perceive.
In a new study, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a way to directly stimulate a single cone by exploding it with targeted laser light, called Oz. Using this system on five human subjects, the laser system was able to trigger only the activity of the Cene M cells, leading people to report the experience of a color described as “blue-green of unprecedented saturation”.
In addition, they were able to handle this technique to stimulate thousands of individual cones, allowing them to create images and visuals with the technique.
Traditional color technologies – like the computer screen you are currently looking at – count on a method called spectral metamerism. This involves mixing different light wavelengths to imitate the way our eyes perceive specific colors, causing cone cells in our retinas and our brain to see correspondence. This strategy has existed for at least 1861, when James Clerk Maxwell Awed the public with the Royal Institution by superimposing red, green and blue images to create color visuals.
The OZ method uses a different approach. Rather than adjusting the spectrum of light, it controls the spatial distribution of light on the retina, a concept known as spatial metamerism. This allows the creation of a wide range of colors using a single monochromatic light, avoiding the need of the three light primaries.
Commenting on the new study, experts recognize that although research introduces certain promising practical innovations, certain aspects of stimulation to a single cone are not entirely new.
“When only the conical M is stimulated, the observers report that they see an unusually saturated greenish blue. Normally, focused on the source of retina points, such as a star, excites several cones due to optical constraints. Misha Corobyew, lecturer in optometry and science of vision at the University of Auckland – who was not involved in the new study – said in a statement.
The study is published in the journal Scientific advances.