Industrial Electronics

Video: Behold a robot dog with a flamethrower

30 April 2024

There have been several use cases for robotic dogs over the last few years as robotics have advanced and more sophisticated models have emerged.

There have been 5G-connected robotic dogs for first responders; rope jumping robot dogs; warehouse logistics robotic dogs; and truck-pulling robotic dogs. However, attaching a flamethrower to one may be one of the more interesting ideas yet.

An Ohio-based company called Throwflame has introduced the quadruped robot, called Thermonator, for the low cost of $9,420.

While this might seem like a joke, and it still might be, the video shows the Thermonator in action running to a given location and spouting flames as far as 30 ft. Throwflame has equipped its Arch personal flamethrower, which it sells by itself for $800.

Now, the most important question is, naturally, what can you use a robot dog with a flamethrower for?

The obvious zombie apocalypse seems mundane. And Throwflame has identified five different use cases including:

  • Wildfire control and prevention
  • Agricultural management
  • Ecological conservation
  • Snow and ice removal
  • Entertainment and SFX

Personal protection might be another use case or lighting your backyard fire pit or charcoal grill might be another. But with a $10,000 price tag, a 50-cent lighter might be a better option.

The Thermonator also comes with lidar mapping and first-person view (FPV) navigation to get a close look at the wall of flame about to be unleashed.

To contact the author of this article, email PBrown@globalspec.com


Powered by CR4, the Engineering Community

Discussion – 0 comments

By posting a comment you confirm that you have read and accept our Posting Rules and Terms of Use.
Engineering Newsletter Signup
Get the GlobalSpec
Stay up to date on:
Features the top stories, latest news, charts, insights and more on the end-to-end electronics value chain.
Advertisement
Weekly Newsletter
Get news, research, and analysis
on the Electronics industry in your
inbox every week - for FREE
Sign up for our FREE eNewsletter
Advertisement