Ohio company launches Thermonator, a flamethrowing robot dog [Video]

CLEVELAND, Ohio (TMX/WOIO) – Throwflame, an Ohio-based flamethrower manufacturer, has released what it says is the first-ever robot dog with a flamethrower attached for remote firestarting.

The Thermonator is a robotic quadruped with the company’s ARC flamethrower mounted on its back. The robot dog features lidar mapping, first-person view (FPV) navigation, obstacle avoidance, and laser sighting to remotely deliver fire, with a 30-foot firing range and a one-hour battery life.

The company says the flamethrowing platform can be used for wildfire management, prescribed agricultural burns, snow and ice removal, or even entertainment special effects.

In a video released by Throwflame, the Thermonator can be seen navigating snowy landscapes, leaf-littered forests and grassy hills, by day and by night.

A voiceover can be heard saying, “I am become death, destroyer of worlds,” as the Thermonator launches an arc of flame. The quote, most famously uttered by nuclear physicist and Manhattan Project …