My childhood creation has been around a while. Drones came first, of course, but like all things men touch, it was really only a matter of time before we experimented with adding dangerous things to the business end of one. In this case it was a flamethrower, but it’s fair to say we’ve dabbled a bit. There’s a drone with a chainsaw attached, for example. I witnessed it fly during the “Drone Rodeo” one year at CES — but only after our former social media maven, Esther, and I got lost in the desert trying to find it. Or there’s this one, a drone that shoots projectiles in the form of your favorite Independence Day firework, the Roman Candle. Needless to say, it was really only a matter of time before humans added a flamethrower. Because, why the hell not?
And though it’s not a new idea, what is new is the opportunity to own one, without going the DIY route. The contraption is known as the Throwflame (creative, right?), and it features a TF-19 WASP drone flamethrower attachment the company says can shoot fire up to 25 feet. With just a gallon of fuel, you can turn that pesky wasp nest into a scene from “The Purge,” for about a minute-and-a-half anyway. But just because you could, definitely doesn’t mean that you should. I have a feeling this isn’t the sort of thing that is going to fly with your HOA. It’s also worth mentioning that the attachment is $1,499, according to Gizmodo, and you’ll still need to buy a higher-end drone — Throwflame recommends the DJI S1000 — to attach it to. If you’re chomping at the bit, you can grab one today at the company’s website.
