Thermonator: US Company Unveils Flamethrower-Wielding Robot Dog

A company in the US has created the Thermonator, "the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog". Throwflame, the Ohio-based company, told The Guardian the robot dog can shoot flames upto 30 feet, has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections and one-hour battery life. The company has described Thermonator as "your ultimate firepower companion" and can be used in wildlife control and prevention, agricultural management, ecological conservation, and snow and ice removal, as well as entertainment and special effects, the outlet further said in its report.

The robot flame-throwing dog will cost you $9,420 (Rs 7.86 lakh). The features include lidar mapping for elevation data, laser sights and ability to avoid obstacles.

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But not everyone is impressed by the invention. After Thermonator's release, users started sharing their views on social media.

"Guess I'm the only one who watched that Black Mirror episode," said one giving reference to the 2017 episode Metalhead from the television series Black Mirror which explores the consequences of new technologies.

"Cool. Will the owners be held liable when this inevitably starts wildfires? Or sets their neighbours' house on fire?" asked another.

Currently, flamethrowers are legal across the US, except in Maryland, as per The Guardian report. In California, a flamethrower with a range of more than 10 feet requires a permit from the state fire authority, reported CNN.

Earlier this year, Tecno unveiled a robot dog modelled after a German Shepherd at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona. The robot dog, named Dynamic 1, was an AI-backed biomorphic dog that the company said will be a "perfect pet-like companion for the future".