“It’s not a money thing, it’s a reasonable control thing over the future of the company, especially if we’re building millions, potentially billions of humanoid robots,” he added.
Windram said success would depend on the cause of colourblindness in individuals. Deuteranomaly, which causes decreased sensitivity to green light, is the most common form of colour blindness.“In this case, a miniaturised version of this technology could theoretically be used to correct this by directly stimulating the cones when the correct colour of light hits them,” Windram said.
Windram pointed out that publicity materials for the research show images of the Oz experiment on a highly stabilised table.“This would require a lot of work to miniaturise the technology, and is likely a long way off. Given that the laser must stably hit the correct cones in order to stimulate them, this may not really be feasible as a form of vision correction technologically,” he said.How do we know how people ‘see’ colour?
The concept of a colour has three main components, Windram explained: The physical, which has to do with the wavelengths of light that meet the eye; the neurological, which refers to how humans biologically process these light signals; and the societal or linguistic component, which pertains to how colours are named.“In the end I may see a colour and call it ‘red’, someone else may call it ‘rot’ or ‘rouge’ … but also another may look at it a bit more closely and say ‘well it’s claret’ or ‘crimson’.”
To test this, neuroscience and AI researcher Patrick Mineault developed a
for entertainment purposes in September 2024, on which users can take a test to see how their colour perception compares to others.Last Monday, following the Newark incident, The New York Times reported that only three flights passed through Newark-area airspace during a period when the goal was 14. At times, there were only one or two fully certified controllers on duty.
As a result of the incident, 20 percent of air traffic controllers went on trauma leave, citing the event itself, the use of outdated equipment, and a longstanding staffing shortage. United CEO framed it as air traffic controllers having “”. Controllers are entitled to 45 days of paid trauma leave.
Air traffic control in the New York area has been chronically understaffed. A 2023 Department of Transportation reportfound staffing levels to be dangerously low at 20 of the 26 critical air traffic control facilities across the US. The FAA mandates that at least 85 percent of controller positions be filled to maintain safe operations. The New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility was operating at just 54 percent. In 2024, control of Newark’s approach operations was moved to Philadelphia, a move that exacerbated certified controller shortages, as there were fewer of those personnel in Philadelphia.