We need the weapons of war off the street. We do NOT need robot dogs with flamethrowers for the public

[Attilatheblond]

But, it seems we are about to get such fire breathing robotic hounds available to the public. What could possibly go wrong?

[link:https://throwflame.com/products/thermonator-robodog/|

More details re this device here: [link:https://boingboing.net/2024/04/26/this-consumer-grade-flamethrowing-robot-dog-is-finally-available-for-sale.html|

As previously reported by Jennifer Sandlin, the "Thermonator" is a flame-thrower equipped robot dog from Ohio-based flamethrower manufacturers Throwflame—and now it's finally for sale to the general public! Here's how the company describes the fully legal Thermonator:

Thermonator is the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog. This quadruped is coupled with the ARC Flamethrower to deliver on-demand fire anywhere!

Ready for Anything
• Wildfire Control and Prevention
• Agricultural Management
• Ecological Conservation
• Snow and Ice Removal
• Entertainment and SFX

The Thermonator also comes with a LIDAR sensor and laser sighting as well as an onboard camera for first-person view (FPV) navigation, so you can steer it drone style from the comfort of your home.

The Thermonator retails for a little $10,000. And to think, we're only 8 months from a Christmas Apocalypse!

Thermonator Robot Dog [throwflame.com]

Gender reveal parties and attacks on places where people tend to congregate are likely to become even more dangerous. Also, look for homeowners insurance to become even LESS available and a LOT more expensive when this little exercise in run amok capitalism takes off.

[patphil]

1. Now an arsonist can burn down an entire neighborhood from the ease and comfort of his own home.

[Attilatheblond]

3. Seems possible

Too bad mental health care is harder to get than the means of mass destruction.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

2. Well, shit. What could possibly go wrong? nt

[CrispyQ]

4. I can hear it now, "Hey Robodog, light our campfire for us!"

This country has lost its mind. There is a sickness when it comes to our love of weapons.

[Earth-shine]

5. So, for protection, one is supposed to go around town with this like it was a service dog?

That would be the ultimate in "open carry."

What if I ran into someone who also had one, and the two dogs didn't like each other? That could be bad.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Why on earth does anyone need such a product!

Another stupid way to kill innocent people. This country has some serious problems!

[jmowreader]

17. There are a few reasons

Foresters will get A LOT of use out of this thing. There's a technique used in wildland firefighting called a Backfire. If you have a forest fire going on, it's consuming a lot of fuel off the forest floor - dead branches, dry pine needles, that sort of thing. What you can do is go in front of the path of the fire and set another fire, which keeps the fire from spreading because it can't jump the backfire area to keep on going. These robot dogs will allow foresters to set backfires without sending people out to do it, and the fewer people you have in front of a massive forest fire the better off you are. They also do prescribed burns to get the fuel out of the forest floor before there's a forest fire, which helps prevent wildfire. These dogs will be good for that.

It'll be great for clearing snow and ice from hospital ambulance bays. Send out the robot dog every hour or so. It melts off the accumulated slickness and allows for safer operation.

This will also make roofing buildings safer. There is a roofing material called APP Modified Bitumen. (APP stands for Atactic Polypropylene. Don't ask me how I know this; I never carried it in my store.) It comes in rolls. You have to heat this stuff with a torch to get it gooey enough to stick to the roof...and that torch is generally wielded by hand. Many, many buildings have burned down because someone didn't do the torchwork right. They can program these dogs to give exactly the right amount of heat in the right place to soften the membrane without setting the building on fire.

Yeah, this thing SOUNDS like it's about one step from the mechanical hounds in Fahrenheit 451. However, a remotely-guidable flamethrower robot would be a great help to a lot of people.

[3catwoman3]

7. And, no civilian needs high capacity magazines.

[Wonder Why]

8. Hey, neighbor! You may have a Rottweiler but I have a flamethrower dog. Here, Rover! Make the Rottweiler a hot dog!

[Qutzupalotl]

9. Good thing the West is a tinderbox.

Much of the Southwest too.

If this product ever starts a major conflagration, I hope the manufacturer gets sued to oblivion. This is a product no one asked for or ever thought they wanted, except sociopaths and terrorists.

[Attilatheblond]

10. I can see applications where this will be useful, like firefigthers needing to do back fires to stop fire advancement

But letting this into the hands of the general population? Absolute madness!

[Kaleva]

11. Useful in keeping neighborhood kids off the lawn

When I was young, we just deal with irate homeowners shooting at us with their rifles and shotguns. Today's kids have to deal with robotic flame throwing dogs

[2naSalit]

12. So, I'm guessing...

A water cannon would be the antidote?

[House of Roberts]

13. Already been done. Laser equipped too.

[Attilatheblond]

14. Brought to mind the scene with robot dog in the movie Sleeper. Line was somthing like:

'Is he housebroken or does he leave little batteries around?'

[House of Roberts]

15. In the Doctor Who episode 'School Reunion'

the leader of the alien race 'The Krillitanes', refers to K9 and his laser as 'the shooty dog thing'. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.

[JoseBalow]

16. Woof! Woof! Woof! Hello, I'm Rags

Sleeper (1973)