Thermonator – The World’s First Flamethrower Robot Dog

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A brand new flame-throwing robot dog that can shoot blazes up to 9 meters can now be purchased in the US. The robodog’s manufacturer, Throwflame, claims that this first of its kind quadruped is armed with the company’s ARC Flamethrower and has a battery that can last for an hour.

The robot dog is named “Thermonator” and is currently operated by a first-person view (FPV) controller (a concept that is increasingly gaining traction with the rise of drones). It has a laser mounted on its flamethrower (providing the aim for the flames) and can move while avoiding obstacles and operate in remote areas.

Another interesting feature of the robot dog is its use of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to guide it – LiDAR utilizes pulsed lasers to provide accurate and constant measurements of the distances to a given target or area, and are essentially light-based measurement and mapping tools that are incredibly useful in various sectors.

According to Interesting Engineering, the ARC Flamethrower is a compact all-electric flamethrower that is ultra-modular and adaptable and can be configured in many different ways. The Thermonator has an extended battery life and a versatile mounting system, which gives the robot quadruped enhanced flexibility in operations.

This robodog has various uses in different sectors and fields – Throwflame says all its products are designed for personal and commercial use, such as ground clearing or controlled agricultural burns, ice and snow melting, forest fire containment/ prevention, and even film production.

However, the main use of these robots might be with the armed forces – It is highly durable, agile, and autonomous, and can withstand various unstructured urban and natural environments. It is designed for defense, homeland security, and enterprise applications. The Thermonator’s successful and promising field tests signal a possible future integration into army units.