OCTOBER 16--Actuality Systems Inc. (Reading, MA; www.actuality-systems.com), a developer of advanced 3-D display technology, has announced that the first beta customer for its spherical 3-D display is Structural GenomiX Inc. (SGX; San Diego, CA), which does experimental and computational structural biology, transforming genomic information into structural templates for drug discovery.
The unique monitor, named Helios, is shaped like a 20-in.-diameter globe and can show high-resolution color images that appear to hover in space, allowing multiple users to move completely around the 360° display and view images from any angle. The breakthrough technology is believed to provide the highest resolution volumetric imagery ever developed.
"This type of volumetric 3-D display will have a significant impact on a number of different fields," said Gregg Favalora, Actuality Systems founder and CTO. "But the range of possible uses for drug design and biotechnology is so varied that it makes this the perfect industry to begin our beta testing with real-life applications."
SGX has established an industrialized platform for transforming genomic information into structural templates for drug discovery and design. The SGX platform integrates advanced research methods and tools in multiple technologies--from high-throughput protein expression and crystallization, to synchrotron radiation, structural informatics, and chemistry. Said Doug Livingston, SGX vice president of chemistry and new technologies, "Using the Actuality Systems display facilitates collaborations among our work teams, and, when used as a presentation tool, it could significantly help our partners and clients better understand the data. This display could have considerable positive impact on the way we work."
For more on this subject, see Vision Systems Design, May 2001, p. 17.
