Scientists Reveal Olo – A Never-Before-Seen Colour Beyond Human Vision
New blue-green shade visible only through laser stimulation, seen by just five people worldwide
In a groundbreaking study, scientists have unveiled a new colour named ‘olo’ — a saturated blue-green hue that lies beyond the normal human range of vision. So far, only five people in the world have seen it.
The discovery, published in Science Advances, was made using a technique called the Oz Vision System. Inspired by the green glasses worn in the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz, this system uses precise laser stimulation to bypass the limitations of natural colour perception.
Researchers found that by “jittering” laser signals by just a few microns (a millionth of a metre), participants could perceive the laser’s inherent colour. When delivered with exact precision, the laser could produce entirely new visual experiences, including colours outside the traditional rainbow and visuals like “brilliant red lines” or “rotating dots on an olo background.”
“Olo” cannot be seen by the naked eye and requires specific optical stimulation to become visible, opening up new frontiers in how humans may one day perceive light and colour.
The study offers a glimpse into the future of sensory expansion, where technology could allow humans to experience colours once believed to be physically impossible to detect.
