Project Oz?

In a study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington built a high-tech optical device nicknamed Oz. The machine uses advanced tracking and mirrors to isolate and blast microscopic, ultra-precise laser pulses directly at individual photoreceptor cells in the human retina. 

Human colour vision relies on three types of light-sensitive cone cells in the eye—L (red), M (green), and S (blue). 

In nature, these cells always overlap—any natural light that hits an M cone will inevitably trigger its neighbouring L or S cones as well. 

The Oz system completely bypassed this biological rule. 

By tracking the microscopic movements of the eye, the system fired lasers to activate only the M cones, leaving the L and S cones completely turned off. 

This sent a pure, isolated colour signal to the brain that is physically impossible to achieve under natural conditions. 

The name olo represents the binary code for this exact configuration—L-off (0), M-on (1), S-off (0). 

As it only exists as a direct neurological signal, olo cannot be photographed, printed, or rendered on a digital screen. 

Only five people in the world have experienced it first-hand. Co-author Professor Ren Ng described the experience as jaw-dropping. He compared it to living your entire life only seeing pale, pastel pinks, and suddenly being exposed to the richest, boldest red imaginable.

When forced to use a colour-matching dial, participants described it as an alien, hyper-saturated blue-green or teal. It is a hue of unprecedented saturation that completely exceeds the standard human visual spectrum.

Researchers hope that this level of programmable retinal mapping can be used to dramatically advance our understanding of colour blindness and potentially help map or retrain the visual system.

Not everyone agrees it is a truly new colour. Independent vision scientists argue that olo is simply an artificial, intensely exaggerated shade of green rather than an entirely unmapped category of colour.