• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Forerunner

Resetufologist
The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
14,755
www.twz.com

Meet The Flamethrowing Robodog Named Thermonator

The robodog flamethrower system is being touted for peaceful purposes, but one like it could have far deadlier potential applications.


View: https://twitter.com/throwflame/status/1781390190637941007

Armed with the Throwflame's ARC Flamethrower, Thermonator is able to remotely shoot a 30-foot-long stream of fire and is available to purchase for $9,420, the company says on its website.

Thermonator is able to "deliver on-demand fire anywhere!" boasts Throwflame, which says it is the oldest flamethrower maker in the United States.

The system is operated by a First Person View controller, a popular drone control concept that has gained notoriety in Ukraine guiding deadly drones from both sides onto targets.

According to Throwflame's literature, Thermonator can be used for a variety of purposes, including wildfire control and prevention, agriculture management, conservation, snow and ice removal, as well as for entertainment and special effects purposes.

Using robodogs as weapons delivery systems is not a new concept.

As we reported last year, the U.S. Marine Corps already explored using robodogs as weapons, mounting a training version of the M72 infantry anti-armor rocket launcher on one of the four-legged automatons. Such weapon systems are gaining increasing interest not just from U.S. armed forces — the Chinese and Russian militaries are also exploring arming four-legged uncrewed ground systems. The Marine design bears a striking resemblance to a Chinese-made commercial-of-the-shelf quadrupedal robot that has emerged in anti-armor rocket launcher and submachine gun-armed configurations in Russia in the past.

We asked Throwflame if they have had any contact with the U.S. or any other military about Thermonator and will update this story should they respond. However, their website does acknowledge that there is a likely military use for this system.
 

Typhon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,138
I was holding out hope this was just somebody's personal project for fun and not an actual product.

I hate humanity.
 

sph3re

One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
8,424
If you listen closely, you can actually hear Musk drooling at the prospect of this
 

Dark Knight

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,356
5kzYE1w.gif

cute doggy!
 

adj_noun

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
17,329
The fact that we've come this far without a hot dog joke is either a feather in this forum's cap, a collective indictment of us all, or both.
 

Addie

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,776
DFW
arent flamethrowers against the geneva conventions?
The Geneva Conventions only apply to states, not people. Domestic laws against owning flamethrowing robo-dogs may apply. If a state deploys robo-dogs in battle, they'd be analyzed just like any other weapon.

No, that's a common misconception. Incendiary weapons are only banned against civilian targets.
Yep! Although it's from the Treaty on Certain Conventional Weapons, concluded at (you guessed it) Geneva.
 

Trouble

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,174
Seattle-ish
I know there's a legitimate use for something like this to do controlled burns for fighting wildfires... that said I still get strong Torment Nexus vibes from this existing.
 

Strikerrr

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,131
arent flamethrowers against the geneva conventions?
Not completely.

Protocol 3 bans the use of incendiary weapons around "concentrations of civilians or civilian objects", meaning towns, villages, or encampments.

If you were to use a flamethower in a trench in a remote field in an area where there is only military targets, its use would technically be legal.

There's also some other uses for flamethowers like clearing foliage or wasp nests as the Chinese PLA does

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCq8tEwO90Q&pp=ygUYY2hpbmVzZSBmbGFtZXRob3dlciB3YXNw
 

subpar spatula

Refuses to Wash his Ass
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
22,187
Imagine joining the military and training for years to be part of a more combat proficient squad and you're on a mission and this fucking thing jumps out of a bush and uses a flamethrower on you. How embarrassing.
 

Amalthea

Member
Dec 22, 2017
5,705
We didn't think the Torment Nexus™️ was enough, so we added a flamethrower and offer the whole thing for only $9400, order today!
 

Jakisthe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,634
I am once again disappointed by the rinky-dink ranges on these so-called "flamethrowers." The M9 was doing ~200 feet sixty years ago, and here we are, barely able to clear 30? Psh!