The Locksleigh "CATSEYE" Adaptive Smart Goggles are a piece of wearable technology that has seen widespread adoption across the Sol system since their market debut in the mid 2360's. Adaptive Smart Goggles aren't a new idea, wearable computer display screens have been developed since the turn of the 24th century and they've taken many forms and seen many attempts at executing the idea of a lens that can compile and display data concurrent with one's own unobstructed view of the world around them. What sets the CATSEYE apart is its novel holovector projection system- rather than projecting display data inward, into the eye, the CATSEYE smart goggles project data outward onto planes the eye can naturally see. This method enables a few novel ticks and has proved itself very popular with starfarers from all ports of origin, particularly among species who don't share Inner Belt ocular physiology. Today, the Locksleigh CATSEYE is a staple piece of kit in many technical fields- in fact, you may have seen the model worn by a couple of Titan residents and not even realized it yet! They really are everywhere.
Available in a variety of lens sizes and shapes to fit any starfarer from Caelians to Ganymedeans, the Locksleigh CATSEYE works its magic by housing a small, lightweight computer inside one of the square harnesses affixing the adjustable strap band to the main lens assembly, and a small power supply in the other. Along the interior edge of the goggles' lens housing sit a ring of small and precisely-cut gemstones which serve as the CATSEYE goggles' killer feature: a holovector projector array with adjustable depth projection properties. This holovector display is controlled by a pair of twistable watch knobs that sit atop either frame- one knob cycles between pre-set display modes, and the other knob controls depth-of-field of the Heads-Up Display. Each knob is clickable; by default one knob clicks to cycle between data scenes within a display mode, and the other serves as a shutter button for snapshot camera capture features. The lenses themselves are connected to the goggles' computer processor and are able to capture imprints of visual data that can be parsed and integrated into a HUD scene. The physical watch knob control panels are modular and can be fitted to a panel on either frame to accommodate right- and left-handed preference, with variant layouts that include two additional buttons, available to either serve as alternate click inputs for users who don't like the feel of pressing a twisty knob, or they can be programmed for additional functions to expand the range of command inputs to four. The CATSEYE software is open-source, so professionals in a broad range of fields have developed ready-to-use interfaces that can be downloaded and easily installed, while also allowing tech-savvy users to develop their own display modes and HUD layouts to suit their individual needs or tastes.
Thanks to Locksleigh's centuries-old experience manufacturing practical gemstones for thaumaturgical Terrans, they are able to leverage their industrial knowledge into non-magical markets and create something unique for the everyday starfarer. The CATSEYE system is designed to adapt traditional holosceen projection technology to render data in monochrome vector lines, minimizing background panel display colors to allow the clearest possible representation of data that also allows an unobstructed view through the HUD. At its minimal setting these vectors are designed to sit just inside the thickness of the goggle lens, allowing a degree of data privacy when the cicumstances call for it, but the novel feature that sets Locksleigh's design apart from competing models is its ability to project its vector display data further in front of the wearer's face, suspending it in a fixed position in front of the user. By twisting one of the watch knobs at the top of the goggles, a CATSEYE smart goggle wearer can share important visual data with people in their vicinity without the need for them to also have a matching set of goggles or a matching set of configurations. Engineers sharing schematics, drivers running terrain elevation plotters, artists projecting mural drawings onto a wall or thieves scanning touchpads for surface wear to project as a topographical data mesh; Locksleigh's gemstone projector display technology allows dynamic data visualization to be shared between users in a novel and practical way, making it the clear choice for many starfares across the Sol system. And of course, a Locksleigh gemstone projector array can be configured to display data in any single color a user desires- greens and blues are common choices, but amber and hot pink are popular as well. Some users have even set their CATSEYE display gems to cycle a slow pulse of colors in a cyclical rainbow. The software is open source. Make it you own!
In addition to preparing data visualization scenes and HUD overlay lenses, the Locksleigh CATSEYE Adaptive Smart Goggles can be fitted with datajacks and plugged into a larger computer system, serving as a wearable extra monitor in places where physical space is a premium. Starship pilots who don't already have computers for brains will sometimes plug a Locksleigh CATSEYE into their setup to project real-time data into their field of vision; things like horizon displays, target trajectory plotting, engine thrust profiles, hull integrity eports and weapon acquisition warnings are all very useful things to have directly in your line of sight at all times, no matter where your head is turned towads. Holonet power users, systems infiltrators and other data-seeking outlaws will sometimes keep their chatroom display windows in a corner of their peripheral vision when they're sitting at a larger computer rig with multiple displays wired together- little things like decryption progress, keygen output windows, network routing data or even their personal avatar, to place a bit of charm in their workspace. Whatever monitor you're looking at, if you want to keep track of a datapoint, Locksleigh CATSEYE Adaptive Smart Goggles can let you keep track of it while you juggle multiple other tasks. Intrepid rogues have also found a use for CATSEYE goggles connected to a flexible endoscope or a small drone camera, giving themselves and their teammates a shared, if wireframe view of secure places they're not meant to see.
Either on the go or wired into a bigger machine, it's easy to see why CATSEYE goggles are a little bit of kit with a whole lot of trust behind them. It's not magic, it's Locksleigh!