Robotics

Flame-throwing robo-dog can now be yours for under $10k

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Thermonator can throw a 30-ft flame with laser-sighted precision
Throwflame
Thermonator can throw a 30-ft flame with laser-sighted precision
Throwflame
Thermonator is essentially a Unitree Go2 robo-dog with a Throwflame ARC flamethrower mounted to its back
Throwflame
Thermonator: Sci-fi nightmares made real for applications such as wildfire control, farm management, and "entertainment and SFX"
Throwflame
Thermonator's onboard battery is reckoned good for around an hour of operation per charge, though how long the flamethrower's onboard fuel will last is not specified
Throwflame
The Thermonator flamethrowing robo-dog is controlled remotely via a mobile app
Throwflame
Looking dangerous: Throwflame's heavily modified robo-dog is available for "wildfire control and prevention, agricultural management, ecological conservation, snow and ice removal, and entertainment and SFX" - though the company also welcomes enquiries from the defense and government agencies
Throwflame
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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"
Throwflame

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

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8 comments
Davathm
Take my money!!!!!!!
Daishi
Black Mirror was a documentary.
Buzzjunkie00
And this is a good thing because.....? Maybe instead of a flamethrower instal a fire extinguisher. stuff that potentially saves lives instead of stuff that destroys them.
aksdad
@Buzzjunkie00, "keeps personnel out of harms way during the pitched wildfire control, farm management...applications". Wildfire control and controlled burns save lives, even more so if you send a robot instead of a person in to do the hot work.
anthony88
In the US, is this covered by the 2nd Amendment?
windykites
Is this robot insurable against setting itself on fire? At first I thought this was for military purposes.
McDesign
The jumping in ecstatic glee really sells the system.
rgooding
Seriously - what could go wrong?? flame throwers in modern warfare just don't exist as you have to get close to the enemy to hit them and they can see you coming a mile away.. now robo BBQ dog makes trench warfare even more exciting for today's soldiers by being expendable and small enough to just walk in and "light" a few fellas up!

As we edge closer to even more deadly robots with AI fighting on our behalf, how long before

1) humans stop fighting all together and offshore the whole thing to machines?
2) war becomes an economics only thing (whoever has the cheaper mass produced robots wins!)
3) those same AI war fighting robots figure out that humans are the problem and turn on us?? (20 minutes after they start fighting other AI robots no doubt)

we're doomed... what's that i smell?? BBQ human? run the terminators are coming!