A company known for its flamethrower devices used in the film industry has revamped a robotic dog. The robot dog equipped with a flamethrower weapon has raised concerns before it even hits the market. The robot, named Thermonator, is reported to pose various problems in terms of design, safety, and ethics.
Thermonator is on the way for Q3 2023
Sparking a great deal of attention on social media, the flamethrower-armed robot dog developed by Throwflame can spew flames up to 9 meters away. The weapon will now be portable with the robot. Throwflame stated that Thermonator will be the “first robot dog to use a flamethrower.”
According to the product description shared by the company, Thermonator can unleash fire wherever the user requests. It can be remotely controlled and has drawn criticism for its ability to project flames up to a distance of 9 meters.
A new video has been released about Elon Musk's humanoid robot project, the Tesla Bot. Developments can be clearly seen in the video.
Throwflame stated that their products are primarily designed for entertainment purposes. However, making Thermonator openly available raises various risks. The company does not market the robot dog as a weapon but emphasizes the potential danger in case of misuse.
The flamethrower is installed on the Unitree Go1 robodog, which operates autonomously up to a certain degree. The reason for not using Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot was not disclosed. However, Boston Dynamics has stated its opposition to arming their robots. Additionally, while Spot is priced at $70,000, the Unitree Go1 is only at the $3,000 level.
Throwflame has initiated a waiting list for Thermonator, and it is planned to be released for sale in the Q3 2023. The pricing has not been disclosed yet.
