It's official. We've gone overboard with robots.
What do I mean? Well, someone decided it would be a good idea to take a flamethrower and attach it to a robot dog.
Is it cool? Absolutely. Is it nuts? Absolutely. Am I scared? Absolutely. Have I ever seen a flamethrower in real life? No. But that doesn't mean my somewhat irrational fear can be calmed.
I know flamethrowers exist but I've never really heard much about them apart from seeing them in TV shows and movies or watching some Youtube person spend a bunch of money to test one out.
But now that one has been attached to a robot dog and is being sold for less than $10,000, I'm slightly worried and fascinated.
The product, from the Cleveland, Ohio-based company Throwflame, is called Thermonator. Thermonator is the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog. This quadruped is coupled with Throwflame's ARC Flamethrower to deliver on-demand fire anywhere. With lidar mapping, first-person view navigation, obstacle avoidance, and laser sighting, this robot can remotely deliver fire with a 30-foot firing range and a one-hour battery life.
What is the possible use for one of these? The only practical application I can think of at the moment is forestry maintenance where they do a purposeful burn of vegetation to keep it healthy and to prevent wildfires. And I would be right as the company has stated that it can be used for wildfire management, prescribed agricultural burns, snow and ice removal, or even entertainment special effects.
It definitely seems like the type of tech specifically designed for TV shows and movies. Case in point, Throwflame has had its tech featured in several TV shows and movies, including Yellowstone, which is where I saw its flamethrowers being used without even knowing it until today. You can see the other media the company's tech has been used in here: throwflame.com/sfx/.
How is this legal? Well, flamethrowers are actually pretty unregulated in the U.S. They're not considered a firearm by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), though there have been efforts to create bills that deem them the same as machine guns. However, those bills have not gone anywhere likely because flamethrowers aren't causing any problems at the moment. However, purchasers do need to follow any state and local laws and regulations.
Since I live in the Cleveland area, I'll be on the lookout for the Thermonator. This tweet below perfectly encapsulates my thoughts on this—especially since the general public can purchase this dystopian nightmare:
Fun Innovations Friday
Created by the editors of New Equipment Digest and Plant Services, Fun Innovations Friday is a feel-good blog that showcases how advances in science, math, engineering, and technology are making our world more whimsical. Here’s another post that is guaranteed to brighten your day.
Fun Innovations Friday: Electric Mushrooms are Being Used to Control Robots
The robotics industry is rife with innovative research and the next experiment is mushroom robotics.
