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.