Please Help Us Figure Out This Animal Vision Software

Researchers in Australia and the United Kingdom have just devised a new software that allows you to see and experience the world through the eyes of different animals. The thing is –– we can’t figure out how to use it. Can anyone help us? Please help.

According to Popular Mechanics, the new technology, called micaToolbox, converts regular photos into scientific models of the complex vision systems of several animals, including bees, bluejays, goldfish, and dogs. The tool has been in the works for four years and was recently featured in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Why is this cool? Well, humans are are trichromatic, meaning we have three cones in our eyes, allowing us to see the classic ROYGBIV spectrum. However, many fish, birds, insects, reptiles can have four, five, up to 16 color-sensing cones in their eyes — with an ability to see colors that humans can’t even begin to imagine in nature — UNTIL NOW.

Scientists say understanding how animals see the world may one day help us unravel how they search for mates, find food, hunt for prey, and inform future conservation efforts. Researchers also claim the technology is one of the first of its kind to provide “one unified, well-curated, accessible place for researchers and everyone to go to and access state of the art technology that allows us to understand animal vision.”

But, as we said before: we cannot figure out how to use the darn thing. Can anyone help us? Biologists? Etymologists? Environmental technologists? Digital artists?

To take a crack at the software yourself, download imagej from the National Institutes of Health. Then, download and install the micaToolbox. From there, follow this user guide, and uh, that's where we got lost...

If you succeed, please let us know at staff@silicamag.com. Heck, we’ll even send you a reward.

Read more on Methods in Ecology and Evolution.