The Color You’ve Never Seen Before: OLO

Have you imagined the possibility of introducing new colors? Scientists at the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley have discovered a new color that no one has seen before. The color “Olo” is defined as a highly saturated blue-green, whose existence is redefining the boundaries of human color vision.

How did Olo find out?

The discovery of OLO is made possible by pioneering techniques involving precise laser stimulation of the retina. The human eye perceives color through three types of cones – L (long, sensitive to red), M (medium, green), and S (short, sensitive to blue). Under natural conditions, these cones always bind to the stimulus, which limits the range of colors we can see.

However, the researchers created a system called “Oz Vision System” (in honor of the emerald city of Oz Wizards), which targeted the M cone individually using high-power lasers and retinal tracking. Normal light was impossible, so five volunteers saw colors outside the standard human range.

What does Olo look like?

Scientists say they discovered a color called “olo” that has never been seen before by using lasers to stimulate the human eye with natural light.

It is described as a “jaw-eyed” turquoise tone that cannot be recreated on the screen. pic.twitter.com/tnjcekzrj4

– Popbase (@popbase) April 21, 2025

The group members used the term “highly saturated turquoise” to characterize that Olo is more intense and vivid than anything that exists in nature or appears on digital screens. In the background of neutral grey, the Olo is so saturated that participants must combine it with white light to match any standard color, and even then they can only match approximately at the extreme edges of the visible spectrum.

“The color cannot be conveyed on the article or monitor. The point is that it’s not the color we see, it’s not. The color we see is a version of it, but it definitely pales compared to Olo’s experience.”– Austin Roorda, visionary scientist

Why is Olo unique?

Olo is unique in the way it is considered. Unlike each other color that occurs due to the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation of the stimulation This makes Olo unable to replicate using any common methods – colorless pigments, screens or natural light sources can make it render. There were only five people, all participants as researchers, who were completely watching Olo, only under these specific laboratory conditions.

Impact on scientific and visual research

Not only is Olo’s discovery fascinating, it could mean a new avenue about the nature of visual impairment, color blindness, and the function of the human brain. The ability to remove the traditional boundaries of color sensations begins to study the brain’s response to purely new visual stimuli, in which new light is emitted and possible breakthroughs in visual prosthesis and display.

In addition, the development also develops new color shadows by changing a single photoreceptor rather than relying on mixed spectrum colors.

A glimpse of the rainbow

Currently, Olo is a miracle of science, a miracle, just for a few, and also proves about how much human perception is. With the advancement of technology, we can find that more people have Olo experience, but during this period, this can prove that there are still a thousand choices for scientific breakthroughs.