A 20-million-pixels screen with the visual acuity of the human eye at 10 feet has been developed at Sandia National Laboratories. It is also the fastest in the world in rendering complex scientific data sets, says program leader Philip Heermann.

The Sandia images are created through massively parallel imaging, using outputs of 64 computers and splitting data into 16 screens arranged as a 4 by 4 set.

By January 2002, Heermann expects the Sandia team to reach the project’s second phase goal of 64 million pixels, making its resolution higher than the eye’s.

The images are expected to give scientists a better view of complicated systems. Sandia’s immediate needs are to improve understanding of complex situations like crashes and fires, but the facility is also valuable for microsystems, nanotechnology and biological explorations.