If you have been I wonder when Ohio-based Throwflame will be able to order the flamethrower robot? announced for the first time Last summer, that day finally came. The Thermonator, what Throwflame considers “the first robot dog with a flamethrower” is Now available to buy. The price? $9,420.
Thermonator is a quadruped robot with a bow flamethrower mounted on your back, powered by gasoline or napalm. It features a one-hour battery life, a 30-foot flame-throwing range, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for remote control via smartphone.
Also includes a Lidar sensor for mapping and obstacle avoidance, laser sight and first-person navigation through an on-board camera. The product appears to integrate a version of the Unitree Go2 quadruped robot that sells for only $1,600 in its basic configuration.
Photography: Xmatter
The company lists potential applications for the new robot as “forest fire prevention and control,” “agricultural management,” “ecological conservation,” “snow and ice removal,” and “entertainment and sound effects.” But most of all, set things on fire in a variety of real-world scenarios.
In 2018, Elon Musk made the news for offering an official Boring Company flamethrower that reportedly sold 10,000 units in 48 hours. This generated some controversy, because flamethrowers can also function as weapons or potentially start forest fires.
Flamethrowers are not specifically regulated in 48 US states, although criminal and general product liability laws may still apply to their use and sale. they are not considered firearms by federal agencies. There are specific restrictions on Marylandwhere a federal firearms license is required to possess flamethrowers, and Californiawhere the range of flamethrowers cannot exceed 10 feet.
Photography: Xmatter
Still, to state the obvious, flamethrowers can easily burn things and people alike, starting fires and wreaking havoc if not used safely. Consequently, the Thermonator might be a Christmas gift you should skip for little Johnny this year.
This story originally appeared on Ars Technique.