Z-Goggles doesn’t really stand for anything, it is just a name that makes you wonder what it could possibly be. The Z-Goggles system is a vision enhancement system, though not in the normal sense. It allows the user to modify what they do see in a number of ways. Mainly, this is done for the enjoyment of the user. Who doesn’t want to see the world upside down? What does the world look like when it is a photo negative? Essentially, this is a video/image processing capability, allowing the user to modify the display with 3 functions. Z-Goggles can flip the display, create a photo-negative effect, and simulate drunken vision. Another twist is that the Z-Goggles are portable and capable of being worn outside. The Z-Goggles are designed to go where the user goes. It is battery-powered, and the display is integrated with a helmet for ease of use. The required power supply is located in a backpack that is worn with the helmet, so the complete system is wearable in two sections. Overall, the system isn’t heavy, so the user should be capable of wearing it for extended periods. An additional feature of the Z-Goggles is the capability to see in different spectrums when the lens is changed, or if additional single FPGA systems are integrated together. This allows for future growth of the system for other applications.

Regarding the technical implementation, the entire system consists of relatively few parts. A digital camera connects to an FPGA for processing and display control. A VGA output card interfaces with the FPGA processor to output to a helmet-mounted display unit. The user can select functions via a controller, which is built upon a microcontroller which interfaces with the processing FPGA. All power is provided by the backpack power supply.

---