Photo filters will never be the same again.
A new video camera invented by a team of American and British scientists allows people to see the world as animals see it.
While humans have sharper vision than most animals, different species see colors differently due to the capabilities of the photoreceptors in their eyes.
For example, some birds can see ultraviolet light, which is outside the range of human perception.
But the new camera records video in four color channels: blue, green, red and ultraviolet, according to a paper published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Biology.
The data is then processed into estimates of “perceptual units” for different animals, based on existing knowledge about the photoreceptors in their eyes.
The camera captured how a UV-sensitive bird sees sulfur-orange butterflies in the wild, compared to how a human would (inset). Daniel Hanley/SWNS
“This optical component reflects ultraviolet light in a mirror-like manner, but allows visible light to pass through in the same way that clear glass does,” said study authors Daniel Hanley, an associate professor of biology at George University. Mason, and Vera Vasas. a biologist at Queen Mary University of London told Gizmodo.
“In this way, the system can capture light simultaneously from four different wavelength regions: ultraviolet, blue, green and red.”
The result is a channel that allows viewers to “easily swap cameras, lenses, or visualize color appearance for a variety of animal viewers,” the scientists wrote.
Different animal species see colors differently due to the capabilities of the photoreceptors in their eyes. Daniel Hanley / SWNS The new camera records video in four color channels. Daniel Hanley/SWNS
The researchers published a series of videos which showed how a bird sees a butterfly, how a mouse sees a rainbow, how a dog sees a peacock feather or how a bee sees a person applying sunscreen.
“We have long been fascinated by the way animals see the world. Modern sensory ecology techniques allow us to infer what static scenes might appear to an animal; however, animals often make crucial decisions about moving targets (e.g., detecting food, evaluating a potential mate’s display, etc.),” Hanley explained in a press release.
“Here we present hardware and software tools for ecologists and filmmakers that can capture and display in motion the colors perceived by animals.”
The new video camera was invented by a team of American and British scientists. Daniel Hanley / SWNS Some birds can see ultraviolet light that is outside the range of human perception. Daniel Hanley/SWNS
The scientists also shared their methods and software codes in hopes of inspiring others to replicate the camera, with parts that are commercially available.
“We believe this will accelerate development, to the benefit of everyone,” Hanley and Vasas said.
“We have a number of ideas that we plan to address with our camera, but the most interesting questions will be the ones we have yet to consider,” the scientists continued.
The cameras allow humans to “visualize the appearance of color for a variety of animal viewers.” Daniel Hanley/SWNS
“It’s only now that we’re starting to make videos of the natural world that we’re starting to see how much information is available.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn