Distributed power and control
- Custom power distribution board
- Onboard computer reading pressure and position sensors
- Motor controllers for aiming
- Switched safety and firing actuators
LOADING CAD MODEL
Field-tested small-scale prototype
Full awareness.
Full awareness.
Active intervention.
EMBER connects satellite observation, drone verification and early warning to a precision ground launch system, so the first response to a new fire starts in minutes, from a safe distance.
01 / Software . EMBER Watch
EMBER Watch.
Find it. Confirm it. Hand it off.
The sensing layers run on one operator console. Satellite hotspots, watch zones, drone fire identification and the launch handoff share the same map, so a detection becomes a firing solution without anyone retyping coordinates. Try the visual modes or go full screen.
EMBERWATCH
VISUAL MODE
Interface concept with simulated data. NASA FIRMS data courtesy of NASA EOSDIS.
02 / The launcher . what we already built
A working small-scale prototype.
Take it apart.
This is the 3D model of our small-scale prototype, loaded in your browser. Select a subsystem to isolate it. It proves the architecture (sensing, aiming, pneumatic launch and safety checks) that the full-scale, vehicle-mounted platforms will scale up.
DRAG TO ORBIT . SCROLL OR PINCH TO ZOOM
Subsystems
Elevation12.3 degrees of travel
Electric motor and gearbox on a 300 mm lead screw, with a 3D printed piston guided by grooves in the motor housing.
Lateral12.3 degrees of traverse
Electric motor on a 300 mm lead screw. A repurposed caster wheel swivel prevents overconstraint.
PneumaticsQuick exhaust valve release
A 1 inch quick exhaust valve dumps the 128 PSI-rated reservoir into the 3 ft barrel, backed by a 125 psi spring release, a relief solenoid and a compressor over-pressure breaker.
230 mMax range carrying a 1 kg payload (250 m unladen)
0.94 mAverage shell-to-shell distance at 130 m
0.96 mAverage shell-to-shell distance at 80 m
62.9%Purchased parts. 20% 3D printed, 17.1% recycled
PRODUCT DEMO VIDEO
Web-based command
- Web-based operator dashboard
- Live sensor streaming
- Map-based targeting and ballistics
- Emergency stop at all times
03 / The payload
Maximizing
target impact.
The tested shells carried inert 1 kg loads. The next shell is built to make every kilogram count: a self-foaming design that keeps two reactants apart in flight, mixes them on impact and expands about a liter of solution into roughly 14 liters of clinging foam exactly where it lands.
ACTIVE EXTINGUISHING
Fired directly onto a spot fire or new ignition, the foam smothers the flame, cools the fuel and cuts off oxygen, knocking it down before it can spread.
PREVENTION . FIREBREAK
Fired ahead of the fire onto dry grass and brush, the foam coats unburned fuel and holds moisture against it, building a wetted barrier the flame front struggles to cross.
CHAMBER A
710.5 g water with class A foam concentrate and 53.3 g sodium bicarbonate.
CHAMBER B
36.2 g aluminum sulfate, sealed behind a frangible barrier that shatters on impact.
REACTION
The two charges are stoichiometrically matched, releasing about 0.63 mol of CO2, roughly 14 to 15 liters of gas to drive the foam out.
PRINTED
Every EMBER shell is 3D printed in biodegradable material, so casing fragments left after a burst break down in the field instead of littering it.
CASING
200 g biodegradable printed bursting casing with V-notch score lines tuned to rupture near a 100 psi internal spike, weighted nose and rear stabilizer fins.
WHY FOAM
Class A foam concentrate lowers the surface tension of water so it soaks into dry fuel instead of beading and running off, and the foam blanket insulates the fuel from radiant heat.
DRAG TO ROTATE . ALL PARTS 3D PRINTED IN BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL
04 / Full system integration
One pipeline.
From orbit to impact.
Wildfires are cheapest to stop in their first minutes, and hardest to reach. EMBER is designed as four connected layers: wide-area observation, close-range verification, operator alerting and a ground launch platform that can act on a confirmed GPS target. Step through the sequence below.
01 / OBSERVE
Spot the heat signature
A satellite pass detects a thermal anomaly in remote terrain and assigns it coarse coordinates.
Auto-plays. Click a stage to jump, drag the scene to look around.
Satellite watch
Ingest thermal hotspot data from orbit to cover areas no lookout or patrol can watch continuously.
- Wide-area thermal anomaly detection
- Coarse geolocation of new hotspots
- Public hotspot feeds first, dedicated sensing later
Drone confirmation
A drone launched to the reported coordinates confirms the fire, filters false positives and refines the target position.
- Thermal and visual camera
- Refined GPS fix and fire perimeter
- Live wind and terrain context
Early warning
Verified detections become a prioritized alert for qualified operators, with location, size, wind and a suggested firing solution.
- Sensor fusion and confidence scoring
- Operator dashboard and notifications
- A person authorizes every action
Integrated launch
A vehicle-mounted launch platform receives the target, solves the ballistics, self-checks pressure and aims the barrel for operator-approved release.
- GPS targeting and auto-aim (built)
- Pressure integrity checks (built)
- Interchangeable suppression modules
05 / The mobile platform
One vehicle.
Swappable missions.
The next platform moves EMBER onto a vehicle that already carries a compressor and generator, like a fire apparatus does. The launch bay accepts modules sized to the job: precise shots on spot fires, or a single action that lays a firebreak across the fire's path.
MODULE A . DIRECT ATTACK
Multi-tube foam launcher
A rack of barrels scaled from the prototype, fed by the vehicle's air supply. Each tube carries a foaming shell aimed at a verified GPS target for spot fires and new ignitions.
Precision firstBuilds directly on the tested aiming, ballistics and pressure-check software.
Many targets, one stopIndependent tubes let one vehicle answer several spot fires from a single safe position.
Trade-offEvery shot draws on the vehicle's compressed air supply, which limits sustained volume.
MODULE B . FUTURE ROADMAP PRODUCT
500 ft linear suppression line
To build a firebreak in a single action, this module swaps the tubes for a 500 ft flexible line. The scaled-up EMBER launcher fires a pilot projectile that tows the line across the fire's path. No explosives are involved: the line is a woven, scored sleeve packed with dry retardant such as monoammonium phosphate around a central air channel, fed through the tether from the vehicle's compressor.
1. PressurizeOnce the line is down and the area is clear, the vehicle's compressor pressurizes the central air channel through the tether.
2. Disperse retardantThe sleeve splits along its scored seams and blows dry retardant out over a band along the full 500 ft, coating vegetation on the defended side.
3. Hold and anchorTreated fuel resists ignition and catches wind-blown embers. The laid line marks a ready-made control line that crews can widen with hand tools.
DESIGN NOTENo explosives. The line is deployed by the same pneumatic launch principle as the prototype and activated with compressed air. Dispersal coverage will be validated through modelling and inert deployment trials.
Future roadmap concept
06 / Future product . Module B
500 feet of firebreak.
One action.
Our roadmap product: the same EMBER launcher, scaled up and mounted on a vehicle, firing a pilot projectile that lays a 500 ft suppression line in one shot. The animation runs the line as a simulated rope, so it falls and drapes the way a real line would. Pick a chapter or let it run.
EMBER / MODULE B / CONCEPT ANIMATION00:00
01 / ARRIVE
Stage ahead of the front
Concept visualization. Line length 152 m (500 ft). Retardant band width illustrative. Launcher shown is the full prototype CAD, scaled up and vehicle mounted.
07 / Roadmap
We built the launcher.
Now we build the network.
Each phase de-risks the next. The launch layer comes first because it is the part that already works; the sensing layers are added around it.
Harden the launcher
- Upgraded IMU and sensor suite
- Aerodynamic biodegradable printed shells
- Waterproofed electronics, no shelter needed
- Foaming payload lab tests
Drone verification
- Thermal drone integration
- Drone-to-launcher target handoff
- Secure, authenticated operator app
Satellite early warning
- Ingest public hotspot feeds
- Detection fusion and alert routing
- Pilot with a fire agency partner
Mobile platform
- Vehicle integration with onboard air and power
- Module A multi-tube launcher
- Range scale-up studies toward 2 km
Linear line module
- Regulatory and safety review
- Inert line deployment trials
- Independent field validation
Partner with EMBER
Help us take it to the field.
We are looking for fire agencies, test ranges and engineering partners to validate the next phase under real operating conditions.