Welcome to hell.
Smokey Bear’s Worst Nightmare
A company called Throwflame is selling a robot dog that has a flamethrower strapped to its back, which can shoot terrifying, 30-foot streams of fire.
It’s called the “Thermonator” — and it looks like a disaster waiting to happen if it were to fall into the wrong hands.
“Thermonator is the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog,” reads the company’s product description, adding that it can “deliver on-demand fire anywhere!”
Although, we’re pretty sure that Smokey Bear might have a bone to pick with that last bit.
To be fair, the folks at Throwflame aren’t explicitly marketing the robot as a weapon. And judging by the company’s “Clout” page on its website, a lot of its various flamethrowing tools have already been used in movies and TV shows for cinematic special effects.
Still, just because something isn’t marketed as a destructive weapon doesn’t mean it can’t be used as one, whether intentionally or by accident.
Spawn of the Chaos Bots
The flamethrower, as Gizmodo notes, appears to be attached to a Unitree Go1 robodog, a quadruped that has some autonomous capability.
There’s a reason why Throwflame didn’t opt for the bigger and possibly more capable Spot robot, built by Boston Dynamics. While most robodogs rightfully illicit surveillance concerns, Boston Dynamics strictly prohibits the overt weaponization of their robots.
Besides, at about $70,00o a pop, Spots are extremely expensive. The Go1, on the other hand, goes for a comparatively measly $2,700 to $3,500, and an ARC Flamethrower will cost anywhere between $699 and $899 extra.
While it’s unclear what the Thermonator’s sticker price will ultimately be, the company has opened a waitlist and says it’ll start shipping them in Q3 of this year.
But if you’re thinking about getting one, maybe don’t. We’ve got enough uncontrolled wildfires raging across the continent as it is.
More on robodogs: Oh Great, They Put ChatGPT into a Boston Dynamics Robot Dog