Skip to main content

Ever wonder what animal vision is like? This software will show you

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Animals and humans view the world very differently and, no, we’re not just talking about the activities we do or the vantage point we see things from. Every animal species experiences the world differently on a visual level, based on the way that their eyes have adapted to see colors, patterns, brightness levels and so on. Remember that special “Predator vision” from the Predator movies? Well, that, basically, but for everything from the smallest spiders upward.

If you’ve ever been curious about what these different types of animal vision look like, a team of researchers has you covered — and they’ve ever released the open-source, free software, called Quantitative Color Pattern Analysis (QCPA), so that you can test it out for yourself.

“We have created a piece of software that allows users to capture digital images, filter the visual information they contain according to the limitations of animal visual systems, analyze that data to gain highly detailed insights on the design and potential function of visual information, and lastly [visualize] that data,” Cedric van den Berg, a Ph.D. student at Australia’s University of Queensland, told Digital Trends. “QCPA unifies and greatly expands upon more than 40 years of formerly individual tools and methods for the study of animal vision and color patterns into a single, coherent and user-friendly analytical framework.”

Introduction to the micaToolbox V2 and the Quantitative Colour and Pattern Analysis (QCPA) Framework

Plenty of people checking out QCPA will likely be checking it out just for the novelty. But there are plenty of practical applications for scientists. For instance, knowing how animals perceive the world could help reveal new insights into things like camouflage or warning colorations that are there to defend against other animals. It could also be useful for gaining information about things like animal sexual signaling or territorial displays. In turn, it may be utilized for things like design, should a person want to create an object that is animal-friendly. “We are seeing new applications all the time as users have been taking up the framework and starting to use it,” van den Berg continued.

If you’re interested in taking a closer look, you can do so by visiting the group’s dedicated user platform at Empirical Imaging. Alongside the latest toolset, this is filled with user guides, tutorials, articles, and a moderated user forum.

“QCPA really is trying to invite discussion, collaboration, contribution and diversity around a ’round table mentality,’” van den Berg said. “We already have a huge list of things in our minds that we’d love to implement in the future — but I’ll need to finish my Ph.D. first [before] even thinking about that.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Luke Dormehl
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Leaked renders show what the Samsung Galaxy Note 20+ could look like
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus render leak

Samsung’s next flagship phone, the Galaxy Note 20+ has been previewed in a fresh set of leaked renders. Shared by OnLeaks in collaboration with Pigtou, the images reveal a familiar, boxy design that’s largely identical to the phone’s predecessor. Its most striking trait is the huge, protruding camera bump on the rear -- similar to the existing Galaxy 20 lineup.

Unlike the highest-end Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Note 20+ is said to skip the headlining 100× zoom feature. It will come equipped with three camera lenses and leave out the additional fourth ToF sensor that offers depth assistance for portrait shots.

Read more
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an even bigger hit than you thought
animal crossing new horizons kicks

Animal Crossing: New Horizons had the best launch of any Nintendo Switch game, selling over 11 million copies in only 11 days. 

Nintendo announced the impressive Animal Crossing numbers in its fiscal year results on Thursday. saying the game’s results exceeded expectations.

Read more
Now you can add classic works of art to your Animal Crossing island
Getty art in Animal Crossing

Here’s one way to bring a bit of culture to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island.
The Getty Museum has released an online tool that lets you turn classic works of art by the likes of Rembrandt and  Van Gogh into QR codes you can upload into your game.
The new Art Generator allows you to search through any of the Getty’s open-access images to find the right image for your house -- including Van Gogh’s Irises and Paul Cézanne’s Still Life with Blue Pot -- and crop it to your liking.
Once you’ve selected an image, the generator will pixelate the art down to fit in Animal Crossing's custom design space and spit out a QR code you can download using the NookLink app.
The Art Generator isn’t limited to just Getty’s collection either thanks to an option that lets you plug in IIIF data -- an image framework used by many art institutions to organize their archives. Open-access works provided by other museums can be transformed and uploaded into the game using the same tool.
Getty warned that you should check with a museum or gallery’s terms of use before using their data and uploading it.
David Newbury, a software architect at the arts organization, told Digital Trends the generator was the brainchild of Getty software engineer -- and Animal Crossing fan -- Selina Chang-Yi Zawacki.
"It was one of those ideas that was good enough that we dropped everything and put together a team to make it happen," Newbury said.
A five-person crew used the open-source Animal Crossing Pattern Tool to build the feature, which Newbury hopes will “bring a little joy” to people stuck at home.
“What we want to do with our art is let people get to it from where they are, not necessarily from where we are," he told Digital Trends.
If you're looking for more Animal Crossing: New Horizons things to do, follow along with a tour of the in-game museum with the help of a real aquarium or check out our guides to catch the latest fish or make bells fast.

Read more