Can anyone buy Thermonator? Is the flame-throwing robot dog legal? Cost, purchase requirements and uses
The oldest flamethrower manufacturer in the US is now selling a robot dog with the incendiary device strapped to its back. But is it legal to own one?
Flamethrowers have been used as weapons of war for over a thousand years. Most people though will think of their use in the two World Wars or more recently images from the Vietnam War. However, they do have uses beyond military purposes as they can be a tool for fighting fires and land management.
The latter two, along with others, are how the oldest flamethrower manufacturer in the US, Throwflame, is selling their newest creation, Thermonator. The company touts it as “the first quadruped robot dog that can remotely deliver streams of fire.” That’s because it has their ARC Flamethrower, which can shoot a stream of flame up to 30 feet, strapped on its back.
Can anyone buy Thermonator? Is the flame-throwing robot dog legal? Cost, purchase requirements and uses
Surprisingly, just about anyone can buy a flamethrower in the US, which means the same goes for the Thermonator. Throwflame says that the incendiary devices are completely unrestricted in 48 states. However, the company warns that “it’s the purchaser’s responsibility to ascertain that ownership and or use does not violate any state or local laws or regulations.”
One will set you back though $9,420, shipping and handling is free. The standalone ARC Flamethrower sells for between $699 and $899 and comes with a 0.4-gallon fuel tank.
The Thermonator can operate for up to an hour on its battery and it can be controlled remotely via WiFi and Bluetooth. The robot dogs also have obstacle avoidance and laser sighting using Lidar mapping and FPV navigation.
The company says that the Thremonator “ready for anything” can be useful in “wildfire control and prevention,” “agriculture management,” “ecological conservation” and “snow and ice removal.” But Throwflame also says that their torch dog can be used for “entertainment and SFX”. All fun and games until someone gets hurt.
There are few restrictions on flamethrowers
While there is an international convention on the use of flamethrowers for military purposes, it does not apply to civilian uses. They are actually legal and unregulated in most countries says Throwflame.
That is also the case for most of the United States where only two states have clear restrictions on them, California and Maryland. In the Golden State, a flamethrower cannot have a range of more than 10 feet, thus necessitating a modified nossle for those shipped there in order to be compliant. In Maryland, only those with a Type 9, 10 or 11 Federal Firearms License (FFL), which are for dealers, manufacturers and importers of destructive devices, can legally possess a flamethrower.
Federally, flamethrowers are an unregulated ‘tool’ and not considered a firearm by the ATF. However, there have been moves to try to regulate these fiery squirt guns since they first hit the civilian market in 2015. Those efforts in Congress have failed year after year.