An Ohio-based flamethrower manufacturer is officially selling a robot dog equipped with—you guessed it—a massive flamethrower. Despite the obvious safety implications, the Thermonator can now be purchased online by anyone with $9,420 to spend.
The Thermonator consists of a quadruped robot and Throwflame's own ARC flamethrower. Users appear to manage the robot with a Backbone-style controller that attaches to their smartphone. The robot uses built-in cameras to provide the user with first-person view navigation, while LIDAR sensors allow it to map the area around it and avoid obstacles.
The ARC flamethrower on Thermonator's back is what Throwflame really hopes will catch your attention, however. With a 30-foot maximum range and an included fast charger, Thermonator users can blaze the world around them for an hour at a time. The flamethrower runs on gasoline or napalm—both of which are freely available for purchase on Throwflame's website—and can be operated from up to 350 feet away.
After announcing the Thermonator roughly a year ago, Throwflame is eagerly pushing its deadly robodog on anyone who might find it cool, useful, or entertaining. It can do this because flamethrowers are federally unregulated and, therefore, don't require a background check or a waiting period to purchase. Other than asking Maryland customers to obtain Type 9 federal firearms licenses and reducing the Thermonator's range for California customers, it's simply "the purchaser’s responsibility to ascertain that ownership and use does not violate any state or local laws or regulations," Throwflame's website reads.
The Thermonator isn't meant for most everyday consumers, even if you can add it to your cart now and receive free shipping within the United States. If a gender reveal party gone wrong can trigger a deadly wildfire that scorches over 45,000 acres, there's no telling what a 30-foot flamethrower could do. Throwflame claims its fire-spraying robot dog is aimed at wildfire control and prevention agencies, agricultural entities, conservation organizations, snow and ice removal businesses, and SFX studios. Its site also has a government portal that allows defense agencies to procure and export Thermonators at scale.
