Great.
Convicted Arfonist
Pyromaniacs rejoice! If you live in the US, you can now buy a stout little robot dog mounted with a full-blown flamethrower — because what else are you going to do with those terrifyingly capable quadrupeds?
The “Thermonator,” as it’s known, was first teased by its manufacturer Throwflame last summer. And behold, it’s now officially on sale. To mark the occasion, a new video shared by the company shows the robodog prowling through the woods as it spews flames left and right, set to a remix of, yes, the “Oppenheimer” score. (One wonders if this on-the-nose choice of music is evidence of any self-reflection by the flamethrower robot’s creators. Probably not.)
Nominally, it is not a weapon. Nay, this fire-wielding pup is advertised for uses like wildlife control, agricultural management, and not least of all, entertainment, folks!
But anyone looking for a cheap thrill will be sorely disappointed. The Thermantor’s sticker price is a whopping $9,420 — so tough luck if you don’t have money to burn.
Hold Your Fire
The actual robodog itself appears to be built off the Unitree Go1, which costs up to $3,500. According to Throwflame, its version of the robot comes equipped with LiDAR mapping, which could allow some degree of autonomous navigation.
Meanwhile, the attached not-a-weapon is Throwflame’s compact and “ultra modular” ARC Flamethrower. That costs up to $899.
Thrown together, they make a fearsome fireteam. The robodog is WiFi and Bluetooth enabled and is controlled through a phone that receives a live first person video feed from its camera.
While its operator stays at a comfortable distance, the Thermonator can blast columns of fire up to 30 feet away, picking out its doomed targets with an ominous laser sight.
You will perhaps be relieved to know that its battery life is only one hour long, and its fuel tank also looks pretty tiny. Does that ensure that no one is going to potentially use this thing to cause all kinds of destruction? Absolutely not. Dogs are meant to be man’s best friend, but somehow robot dogs always end up being turned into pernicious pests.
More on robots: New Talking Security Camera Has Robot Gun to Shoot People With Teargas
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