A four-legged robot crawls out of the fog – with a flamethrower strapped to its back.
This isn’t the premise of a dystopian novel, but a new product released this week by Ohio-based company Throwflame.
Promoted by the company as the “first-ever flame-throwing quadrupedal robot dog,” Thermonator fires fire from a distance of 30 feet when necessary. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, the robot can remotely project flames wherever its owner tells it to, with the user’s smartphone acting as a remote control. The battery life is one hour.
Thermonator uses lidar, or laser pulses, to map its surroundings and navigate around obstacles.
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But why would anyone need a flame-throwing robot dog? Throwflame says Thermonator can remove ice and snow, control and prevent wildfires, and support agricultural management efforts.
While a firefighting robot that helps contain wildfires may seem counterintuitive at first, the National Park Service describes a method of fighting wildfires called “prescribed burns,” which are smaller fires that are planned in advance to reduce the impact of larger fires, which Thermonator could help with – in theory. Throwflame has not yet revealed how this robot has been used by public authorities or whether it will be used.
Throwflame also listed “entertainment” as a possible purpose in the robot’s product description.
The hurdle to purchasing the robot is financially high but legally low: The robot costs $9,420 but is legal to own in 48 US states, according to Ars Technica.
Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot, which received a generative AI update in October but has been in the public eye for nearly a decade, appears to be formally the precursor to Thermonator. But while Spot can chat with people and take them on office tours, Thermonator’s purpose seems to center on setting things on fire.
Although flamethrowers are outright banned in only one US state (Maryland), using a flamethrower for fun or ordering a flamethrower could have legal and safety implications.
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Throwflame first promoted Thermonator last year, but Elon Musk’s The Boring Company marketed flamethrowers even earlier, selling 20,000 flamethrowers in 2018 for $500 apiece.
Buyers felt the legal pressure: More than 1,000 buyers had their devices confiscated and had to pay fines, while others faced harsher legal consequences.
Thermonator can be purchased via check, direct bank transfer, or Bitcoin through Throwflame, and it was surprisingly easy to click “Add to Cart” and then “Checkout.” (Although Buy Now won’t be happening.)
At the time of writing, there were no security checks in place.