A prototype called ‘OZ’ developed by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington created an artificial new color perception by directly stimulating some cone cells on the retina with laser light. The human eye works with three types of cone cells that are red, green and blue. Normally, colors are perceived by stimulation of these cells, not alone. However, in the new method, only green -sensitive cones were targeted and a color signal was created in the brain.
Within the scope of the research, laser light was held in the eyes of the three participants and it was observed that they could not match the color they saw with any color combination. The participants had to add intense white light to describe this new perception. The research team called this new color ‘olo’. In the study, the participants reported that the eyes of their eyes were seen in the fields of vision. It was recorded that these findings could be a new clue in understanding the limits of human color perception and contribute to the treatment of situations such as color blindness.
The prototype is part of a new experimental platform developed for the purpose of controlling and researching the visual system at cell level.
