A Leap Beyond the Rainbow
In a groundbreaking experiment, scientists have unveiled a brand-new colour called olo. Humans had never seen it—until now.
Using an experimental method named Oz, researchers successfully manipulated the retina to perceive olo, a never-before-seen hue. This new colour sits outside the bounds of natural human vision.
Olo won’t hit TVs/phones soon due to complex tech. This discovery proves human colour vision can be expanded with advanced stimulation.
Olo: A Colour Born in the Lab
Five participants described olo as a hyper-saturated blue-green. It didn’t resemble any known shade. Scientists call it olo new color or new colour olo, based on how it’s produced.
You can access the study clicking here.
They achieved this by activating only one type of photoreceptor in the eye—the M cones. These cones usually respond to green light, but in natural vision, they never work in isolation.
Thanks to the Oz technique, M cones fired solo. That unique stimulation created a neural signal the brain had never processed before—resulting in the perception of olo.
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Meet Oz: The Colour Hacker
Oz doesn’t use conventional screens or colours. Instead, it maps the retina down to individual photoreceptors. Then, it fires laser microdoses precisely at those cells.
By bypassing typical overlaps in cone activation, Oz unlocks unnatural visual experiences. In this case, it hijacked vision to introduce olo—the new colour olo no RGB screen can replicate.
Scientists named the technique after the magical glasses worn in the Wizard of Oz. Like those glasses, this tech transforms what people see—only this time, it’s real science.
A New Way to See
Conventional colour technology (like RGB monitors) relies on mixing wavelengths to simulate colours. But it’s always limited to the natural range of human sight.
Oz flips that model entirely.
Rather than mixing wavelengths, Oz uses “spatial metamerism.” It stimulates cells on the retina with pinpoint accuracy, creating visuals beyond the RGB spectrum—including olo new color.
One researcher described olo as so saturated it made laser light look pale by comparison. Others called it alien, unplaceable, and completely novel.
Potential for Science—and Sight
This isn’t just a novelty. Scientists believe Oz could:
- Help simulate full-colour vision for colour-blind individuals
- Replicate eye disease patterns for better study
- Push the boundaries of perception in healthy eyes
Eventually, this technique might even unlock tetrachromatic vision. That’s the rare condition where people have four types of cones—and see millions more colours.
The Science of Seeing Olo
The Oz system relies on adaptive optics to scan and label each cone cell. Everyone’s retina is unique, so the system must map each person individually.
Then, laser microdoses target specific cones. During the experiment, participants looked slightly off-centre, using peripheral vision, to allow accurate stimulation.
With this setup, researchers controlled the retina in real time. They corrected for tiny eye movements to keep the laser focused exactly on the intended cell.
When they activated just the M cones, participants saw olo—a colour no one had ever seen before.
Limitations and Next Steps
Oz can only stimulate a tiny portion of the retina for now. People must keep their gaze fixed, and olo can only appear in peripheral vision.
Expanding the system for full-field, natural-looking images will be tough. It involves tracking thousands of cones and compensating for every micro-movement of the eye.
But even this small-scale success opens doors. Scientists now plan to explore how the brain adapts to olo new color and whether it can learn to see more new colours.
Not Coming to Your Screen (Yet)
Can we expect olo in TVs or phones anytime soon? Definitely not.
Oz uses precise lasers and optics far beyond consumer tech. For now, the only way to see new colour olo is through a lab-grade retina stimulation setup.
But the discovery proves something profound: our colour vision isn’t fixed. With the right tech, scientists can rewrite what it means to see.
Why Olo Matters
This isn’t just a cool lab trick. The discovery of olo marks a turning point.
It shows that colour perception is malleable. It’s not just about what light enters the eye—but how the brain interprets signals from within.
And with the invention of Oz, scientists now hold the key to unlock a new visual dimension.
