The XM82 personal flamethrower is now looking for investors via Indiegogo. The device produces a stream of flaming gasoline 20-25 feet from the nozzle. Enjoy the video.
(XM82 personal flamethrower video)
The XM42 originated from an array of ideas sketched and jotted down over the years. By 2015, CAD drawings were completed and bills of materials were made. Internal components were ordered and it was time for bench testing.
Extensive research and evaluation has led to numerous prototype iterations, bringing us to our current model. However, our team is continually working to improve the design. We intend to conduct further research & development to ensure we produce the most efficient, reliable, and safe product possible.
What practical uses do flamethrowers have?
clearing snow/ice
eliminating weeds between pavement cracks
controlled burns/ground-clearing of foliage/agricultural
insect control
pyrotechnic event displays
bonfire starting
I'm pretty sure I read about this idea in John Brunner's flawed 1974 classic The Computer Connection; he called it a "flesh gun":
...It was the usual hell in the streets; a labyrinth of horror. The streets and lanes twisted and corkscrewed, crossing each other, sometimes broken through abandoned buildings, giant heaps of debris and small wastelands. They were dotted with rotting bods, alive and dead and stinking. There were cul-de-sacs where gangs lurked, fought, and swung in Sado-Mac wars that would have astonished Krafft-Ebing. We passed one blind alley where a small mob was poised for an attack, but they were all skeletons in tatters. Burned by a flesh gun.
Russians Think US Is Weaponizing Asteroids
'BY PUSHING AGAINST THE
LITTLE MARTIAN MOON WITH OUR
ROCKET SHIP, WE HAD LESSENED
THE CENTRIFUGAL SPEED THAT
HELD IT BALANCED IN THE SKY.' - Philip Nowlan and D. Calkins, 1930.
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