If you’ve been wondering when you’ll be able to order the flamethrowing robot first announced by Ohio-based Throwflame last summer, that day has finally arrived. The Thermonator, what Throwflame bills as “the first ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog,” is now available for purchase. The price? $9,420.
Thermonator is a quadruped robot equipped with a back-mounted ARC flamethrower, powered by gasoline or napalm. It has a one-hour battery, a 30-foot flame-throwing range, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for remote control via smartphone.
It also includes a LIDAR sensor for mapping and obstacle avoidance, laser aiming, and first-person view (FPV) navigation via an onboard camera. The product appears to integrate a version of the Unitree Go2 quadruped robot which sells for $1,600 on its own in its base configuration.
The robot dog with a flamethrower | Thermonator
The company lists possible applications for the new robot as “wildfire control and prevention,” “agricultural management,” “ecological conservation,” “snow and ice removal” and “entertainment and SFX.” But most importantly, it sets things on fire in a variety of real-world scenarios.
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Remote control of the flamethrowing dog of the Thermonator robot.
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The Thermonator robot flamethrower dog.
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The Thermonator robot flamethrower dog.
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The Thermonator robot flamethrower dog.
In 2018, Elon Musk made headlines by offering an official Boring Company flamethrower that reportedly sold 10,000 units in 48 hours. This has caused some controversy because flamethrowers can also be used as weapons or weapons. potentially sparking wildfires.
Flamethrowers are not specifically regulated in 48 U.S. states, although general product liability and criminal laws may still apply to their use and sale. They are not considered firearms by federal agencies. Specific restrictions exist in Maryland, where flamethrowers require a federal firearms license, and in California, where the range of flamethrowers cannot exceed 10 feet.
Even so, to state the obvious, flamethrowers can easily burn things and people, starting fires and wreaking havoc if not used safely. As a result, the Thermonator might be a Christmas gift you should avoid for little Johnny this year.
