Scientists have created a free software that allows humans to see how the world looks for various animal and insect species. The software can mimic the vision systems of dogs, cats, bees, spiders and fish, among other creatures.
The software, called the Quantitative Color Pattern Analysis framework, allows users to upload a photograph and alter it to appear as it would through the eyes of these animals.
The software accepts photos taken with smartphones and other common devices and alters them using data on how any given animal perceives the world chromatically and spatially. It then compares these altered images to the original images.
The QCPA framework has been in development since 2015, but the research into animal visual systems has been ongoing for decades, according to Vice. Only in recent years has the development of technology made programs like the QCPA possible and readily available.
The research team’s website, Empirical Imaging, includes a downloadable beta version of the software.
The full story from Vice is available here.