Diagnostic imaging is constrained by current display technology. The images are small and distorted by the thick curved faceplates of CRT monitors. A large flat full-color display is required, ideally without the bulk of CRTs but with equal or better image quality. This research proposal is directed at developing the large-format capability of new display technology. The basic concepts have already been demonstrated in a monochrome panel only 4 inches thick. The FLATSCREEN prototype displays a 4 square foot standard television image or computer graphics with the grey scale and brightness of a CRT. THe proposed Phase I research effort will produce a full-size prototype of a compliant vacuum enclosure to prove its design concepts. The current rigid structures are not suitable for production. Success at this stage will lead to an operational full-size panel suitable for low volume production as a minimum goal. Some of the basic principles in this enclosure design have been demonstrated in small test cells but scaling the techniques to a full-size panel involves research on materials, welding, and other fabrication problems that are constrained by the physics of the display technology. The advantages of this flat panel concept includes the fact that it can be mounted on the wall and yet have an image area large enough to display two life-size body images at once. It will be possible to display multiple images for immediate comparison and correlation, or to add notations, or display other monitored data simultaneously. Experimental work on the Phase I enclosure prototype will anticipate a wide range of production concerns because the success of the full size color panel in Phase II can lead to low volume pilot production within two years. Making the display available for demonstration applications as soon as possible will lead to self-supporting commercial development.
