A robo-dog capable of throwing 30-ft flames from its back might seem the stuff of sci-fi nightmares, but such terrors were made real last year with the launch of the Thermonator from Ohio's Throwflame. Now the fire-breathing quadruped is available to buy for under $10k.
Though we've seen four-legged robot pooches helping out at work sites, show potential as mobility aids, getting athletic, towing aircraft, and even busting some serious Jagger moves, there have also been a number of frankly dangerous applications added to the use case mix. The Thermonator lands firmly in that latter camp.
At the time of the pre-order launch, Throwflame's mobile pyro machine appeared to be built on Unitree's Go1 platform but the production version bumps that up to the Go2. That means the robo-dog boasts 4D LiDAR sensing for mapping and obstacle avoidance, a 720p wide-angle front camera and front lamp, octa-core processing brains plus AI smarts, 4G/Wi-Fi6/Bluetooth connectivity, and up to 15,000mAh of battery power.
![Thermonator: Sci-fi nightmares made real for applications such as wildfire control, farm management, and "entertainment and SFX"](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/b0c81fd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1920+0+0/resize/960x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6f%2Fd9%2Faf62d92341d3b3fd57d336a4c075%2Fthermonator8.jpg)
The "oldest flamethrower manufacturer in the US" has mounted its ARC model to the bot's back, which features plasma arc ignition of gasoline or gasoline/diesel fuel for laser-sighted delivery of a stream of fire to a range of up to 30 ft (10m). Remote operation via a mobile app keeps personnel out of harms way during the pitched wildfire control, farm management, "entertainment and SFX" applications – but enquiries from defense and government buyers are welcomed too.
As for the price tag, the Unitree Go2 on its own has a starting price of US$1,600 – though the Pro model comes in at $2,800 – and an ARC flamethrower starts at $699 (with accessories like rails and triggers costing extra). Tacking on laser sighting, a powerful top light and so on, and then wrapping all components up into one package translates into a cost of $9,420 per unit. The video below has more.
Product page: Thermonator