EMBER

What it does

Disorientation in smoke-filled buildings is a leading cause of firefighter fatalities. EMBER solves this by projecting a real-time 2D map onto a display inside their breathing mask, guiding them through hazardous environments and saving precious time.

Your inspiration

Witnessing a fire near my home sparked a deep respect for firefighters and an interest in the navigational challenges they face. I wanted to enhance their senses beyond audio and began to question: why can't the AR on our phones be adapted for their masks? After reviewing academic papers and my local fire brigade confirming the severity of the problem, I began exploring solutions. This was a problem severely affecting firefighter rescue. Through co-design workshops with firefighters, I determined a visual display was the most effective method for data transfer in extreme environments, leading to the development of the EMBER AR headset.

How it works

EMBER's system begins with firefighters deploying portable EM-nodes around a building's exterior. These nodes are designed for rapid setup and automatically form a self-sufficient, localised network using radio waves, which reliably penetrate smoke and walls where GPS fails. Inside, each firefighter's headset constantly measures its distance from multiple nodes. Through trilateration—calculating its position based on these distances—the system pinpoints the user's location with high accuracy. As the first firefighter moves, the system traces their path, creating a 'breadcrumb trail' that becomes a live 2D map. This map, showing paths and tags, is projected onto a simple display inside their mask. This information is shared instantly across the network, allowing subsequent teams to follow a known safe route and enabling incident commanders outside to monitor every team member's position on a tablet, revolutionising team coordination and safety.

Design process

The design process was highly iterative and user-centred, grounded in a series of co-design workshops with firefighters. These sessions were essential in aligning the design with real-world operational needs. My initial explorations focused on non-visual communication. I prototyped haptic systems using vibrating motors in gloves and vests, and experimented with coloured LEDs inside the mask to convey direction. While promising, feedback revealed these methods were too ambiguous for complex navigation and could easily be missed under stress. I then pivoted to visual displays and tested different positioning technologies. LiDAR offered 3D mapping but failed in dense smoke. Bluetooth lacked accuracy through walls. Ultra-wideband proved ideal—reliable even through smoke, concrete, and metal. With the tech chosen, I worked closely with firefighters to test UI layouts. They favoured clarity: highlighting exits, teammate locations, and hazards. This led to low-clutter UI. I 3D-printed multiple enclosures to refine ergonomics, testing different orientations of the compact OLED display to ensure retrofit compatibility with masks—without breaking the face seal or blocking vision. Balancing weight, battery life, and durability was key and achieved through continuous prototyping.

How it is different

EMBER’s uniqueness lies in its fully integrated system approach. While existing tools—like thermal imaging cameras—enhance a single sense or perspective, they don’t address the core issue of spatial disorientation in low-visibility environments. EMBER generates a real-time, shareable 2D map that updates live, offering a unified navigational overview for all team members, including commanders outside the building. This collaborative spatial awareness is a key differentiator. The system also supports post-incident review, helping generate accurate reports for legal documentation. Crucially, EMBER is designed as a low-cost, retrofittable module that integrates into existing gear—significantly lowering adoption barriers compared to high-end systems. It requires no preloaded building data, making it deployable in unfamiliar or evolving environments. These elements make EMBER uniquely positioned to transform firefighter navigation and safety.

Future plans

Following overwhelmingly positive feedback from firefighters during testing, the next step is to fully integrate the UWB positioning system with the visual display into a single, robust prototype for field trials. This would be tested in different conditions: smoky, remote, etc. Concurrently, I will begin the patent application process to protect the intellectual property. The long-term vision is to license the EMBER technology to established manufacturers of firefighter safety equipment. My ultimate goal is for EMBER to become a standard-issue tool that significantly reduces disorientation-related casualties and saves lives globally.

Awards