So you think a flame-throwing drone and a robotic dog strapped with a submachine gun aren’t crazy enough? Well, how about a robotic dog armed with a flamethrower? I am not even joking. A flame-throwing robotic dog is only real but it is available to order now.
Flamethrower maker Throwflame has retrofitted its new ARC Flamethrower, which is an electric flamethrower, onto a robot dog and called it, wait for it… Thermonator. Thermonator is clearly a wordplay on the word “Terminator” with “Thermal” which sounds about right because of what it can potentially do. You know, terminate with fire.
Anyhoo, Thermonator is not based on Spot, obviously, since Boston Dynamic’s terms for purchasing its robotic dog prohibits the use of the robotic dog, or any Boston Dynamics robots for that matter that could cause or simulate harm [PDF]. And clearly, a flamethrower on the back of a robot dog is one of those violations.
From the looks of it, Throwflame is using the same Unitree robotic dog as YouTuber I did a thing, which appears to be a Unitree G01.
The ARC Flamethrower is capable of spewing fire up to 30 feet (9 meters) and uses plasma arc ignition for instant ignition and keeping it lit. It is powered by a battery that has built-in BMS (battery management system) and supports fast charging. The battery offers over 45 minutes of continuous operation on the Pro model. Though it is not clear if the ARC on Thermonator is the standard ARC or the Pro model.
The ARC Flamethrower has quad Picatinny rails that would allow it to be attached to a variety of items, including a tripod, a rifle, a UTV, and of course, a robot dog.
Pricing has not been revealed yet but it won’t be cheap since the G01 costs at least US$2,700 and the electric flamethrower starts at US$699. Those plus the brackets and stuff to get it to work on the robot dog would mean it would cost upwards of US$3,500. If you are interested, you may be signed up to be on the waitlist. Thermonator is expected to ship in Q3 2023.
Images: Throwflame.
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