Paleoinspired Vision: From Exploring Colour Vision Evolution to Inspiring Camera Design

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simplified, GPU-accelerated model of visual transduction inspired by evolution, which aids in understanding colour vision evolution and guides the design of task-specific camera filters.

Contribution

It presents a novel opsin layer model, an evolutionary optimization algorithm, and demonstrates applications in evolutionary biology hypotheses and camera design.

Findings

Efficient simulation of millions of years of evolution in seconds.

Insights into the evolution of mammalian and fish colour vision.

Framework for designing application-specific camera spectral filters.

Abstract

The evolution of colour vision is captivating, as it reveals the adaptive strategies of extinct species while simultaneously inspiring innovations in modern imaging technology. In this study, we present a simplified model of visual transduction in the retina, introducing a novel opsin layer. We quantify evolutionary pressures by measuring machine vision recognition accuracy on colour images shaped by specific opsins. Building on this, we develop an evolutionary conservation optimisation algorithm to reconstruct the spectral sensitivity of opsins, enabling mutation-driven adaptations to to more effectively spot fruits or predators. This model condenses millions of years of evolution within seconds on GPU, providing an experimental framework to test long-standing hypotheses in evolutionary biology , such as vision of early mammals, primate trichromacy from gene duplication, retention of colour blindness, blue-shift of fish rod and multiple rod opsins with bioluminescence. Moreover, the model enables speculative explorations of hypothetical species, such as organisms with eyes adapted to the conditions on Mars. Our findings suggest a minimalist yet effective approach to task-specific camera filter design, optimising the spectral response function to meet application-driven demands. The code will be made publicly available upon acceptance.