EMBER

Designed by Zhengjie Wang, Yi-Sun Chen, Gonzalo Castro

Academic year

2025/2026

A multifunctional autonomous unit designed to prepare Martian soil for future cultivation.

Ember is an autonomous unit designed to operate under the extreme conditions of Mars and initiate the transformation of the terrain in preparation for early agricultural activities. The project introduces a compact, versatile machine equipped with modular tools that allow it to dig, treat, and prepare regolith within defined perimeters. Its primary functions include soil processing, nutrient distribution, and adaptation to multiple operational tasks thanks to a system of interchangeable attachments. Its form and structure protect internal components from abrasive dust, temperature fluctuations, and radiation, ensuring continuous operation. Ember works in coordination with energy bases that provide communication, operational support, and solar collection.

Within the broader system, multiple Ember units collaborate to define the first Martian agricultural areas. The bases establish boundaries and generate the necessary energy, while the units progressively work the terrain, expanding cultivable zones. The project sequences show a phased evolution: the arrival and deployment of the bases, the creation of protective structures, and the units’ action on the soil. In this scenario, Ember becomes the machine that enables the actual start of the agricultural system, transforming hostile surfaces into areas ready to host future crops.