Improved arm mounted flame thrower

posted Nov 3rd 2009 10:00am by Mike Szczys
filed under: classic hacks, wearable hacks

prometheus-flame-thrower [Everett] is at it again with Prometheus, an arm mounted flame thrower.This is the third generation of the project and makes some huge advances over the second generation we saw last year. We’d say he’s reached cinema/stage-performance quality with his design.

The self-contained system is completely arm mounted with a fuel reservoir mounting behind the elbow. The new version adds an adjustable flow valve actuated by a servo motor to regulate the flame size. An arc generator has been incorporated to replace the lighter from the last version. A microcontroller measures wrist angle and takes care of creating the arc and regulating the fuel supply.

Prometheus is small, controllable, and frightening. See a full demonstration as well as some video of the prototyping process after the break. Does this make you wonder how much burn cream [Evertt's] needed over the years?

Extended demonstration video.

Build log video.

Comments [54]

tagged: burn baby burn, fire, flame thrower, prometheus, pyro, x-men

Reader Comments

This is how super-villains get started.

Posted at 10:13 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Matt

Thats really cool.I’d make one of them…

Posted at 10:15 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Rory

anyone else see a dragon/snake with fangs in that first picture

Posted at 10:18 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by phil

He should feel himself the Pyro – a character of X-Men comics… =)
Very cool!

Posted at 10:35 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Tercio

That idiot set his hand on fire at 0:54 in the first video!

Posted at 10:35 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by dave

I never use something like that without wearing a heavy leather glove.

Posted at 10:38 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by khani3s

I still see the need for an emergency cut off – sensing a jerk reaction, for example – but I must admit that this… this…

is mighty cool.

Posted at 10:40 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by andi

One day something goes bad and his arm goes booom..

But that is a cool hack…

Posted at 10:42 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by chicosoft

This on one arm, (http://lawrancecranston.deviantart.com/) That guy’s tazer glove on the other, and you got a super villain.

Posted at 10:43 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Cody

this is dangerus…not the ArduNIX….

hu…can I have an arduino shell of this? :D

Posted at 10:44 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by emuboy

I wonder.. could a battery powered air compressor with an electronically controlled regulator be added to increase the flame height? :)

I also wonder if he smears his arm with a flame retardant gell of some sort.. :)

Posted at 11:08 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by filgy

Greak work Everett, thanks Hackaday

Posted at 11:12 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by defyboy

That is all kinds of awesome!

Posted at 11:20 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by durp

Playing with fire – yeah, that’s a good idea.

Posted at 11:21 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by vonskippy

The third generation is awesome! Great video and post!

Posted at 11:37 am on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Tampa accident attorney

How black do you think his ceiling is now!

I would prefer one like Tony Stark’s personally.
The taser one linked looks kinda cool too.

Mowcius

Posted at 12:00 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by mowcius

Looks very similar to some of the pyro used by Rammstein in their live gigs.

Posted at 12:02 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Unreal

Anyone interested in laying bets an how long it is before we see the headline “Fool inventor burns face off”?

Posted at 12:05 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by TedH

Awesome. Absolutely friggin awesome.

@phil
Yeah, that was the first thing I noticed too. I’m wondering if it was photoshopped. It’s a good pic either way.

Posted at 12:10 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Spadefinger

and you guys tell me to wear a helmet when I drive my 25mph electric scooter!

LOLL

Posted at 12:25 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Jerome

for project like that, I would of use high quality servo or simply use tiny geared motor like the old Sanyo motors from solarbotics.com

Posted at 12:30 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Jerome

Everett is hot!

Posted at 12:43 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Me

I would definately think twice before shaking his hand.

Posted at 12:53 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Andy

HADOOOOUKEN

Posted at 12:56 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by DanAdamKOF

… and the point of this is….what?

I’m not being a troll… I really don’t understand the point of this.

Posted at 1:37 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by pookeye

Hey, I used to work with this guy, and he knows what he’s doing. No, it’s not photoshopped Spadefinger. I’ve seen it in real life, or at least a prototype of his first one. He’s the real deal guys, a real true hacker, and an amazing mind.

Posted at 2:01 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Pat

That is awesome but there’s no social setting I can imagine that I can show that and not get looks.

Very awesome nevertheless.

Posted at 2:53 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Hackius

way to bang the rocks together!

Posted at 2:59 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by aztraph

lol @ Jerome, true nuff. I consider myself a pyro, hell, even a risk taker – but a flame like that indoors is beyond ballsy.

@pookeye http://www.worldsuperheroregistry.com/

Posted at 3:22 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Skitchin

this is one REALLY sweet hack/build
2 thumbs up =D

Posted at 4:20 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by monkeyslayer56

Mmmmm. The world needs more crazy inventive people to take risks like this. How else are we gonna get super powers?

Posted at 4:35 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by nope

Great work Everett! I totally wanna play with this next time you’re in Troy!

-Scully

Posted at 5:38 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Chris

That’s cool. Some suggestion though. He should have the chip monitor his middle finger extensor muscle rather than his wrist motion. that way he can monitor how fast he open his hand. Doing so you can make it start the arc when you open you hand quickly as if you want to start a fire ball. Then to control the intensity of the flame he could monitor his bicept muscle. By flexing your bicept you get a larger flame.

Posted at 6:12 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by thach

the flame looks like a cobra or dragon or something o.0

Posted at 6:38 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by moo

Now all he needs is one for his left hand that shoots water.

Posted at 8:09 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by bhartley

how many times you think he burnt him self??

Posted at 8:24 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Dere

Ahh, but will you use this power for good, or evil?

Unkind that you did not normalize the audio in the two videos. The second one came out LOUD as we have turned up the volume to hear you speak in the first.

Posted at 8:38 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by PocketBrain

Combine this with that arduino hack of the force trainer toy and the possibilities are *endless*.

Alphawave controlled pressure boost? Yes please. Well… it could have… unfortunate consequences if you somehow lit yourself on fire and got overly anxious about the whole burning thing. But still.

Posted at 9:16 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by Derrick

@bhartley: Now all he needs is one for his left hand that shoots water.

Liquid Nitrogen is much better (and dangerous).
Or maybe ultracool alcohol luncher!!!!
Very cold and sticky. And you can set fire after!!!

Posted at 10:47 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by khani3s

I use something exactly like that all the time every day.
I never use something like that without eating a heavy leather glove

Posted at 11:38 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by rooftop ridicule

Playing with fire is how humanity went from animals to toll users. Playing with fire was the start of human civilization, our first invention, and the first real sentient manipulation of our environment.

Playing with fire is a good thing.

Posted at 11:50 pm on Nov 3rd, 2009 by cde

HADOUKEN!

Playing with fire-dangerous
Making a hand made flamethrower-more dangerous
Making a hand made, hand mounted flamethrower-even more dangerous
Making a hand made, hand mounted flamethrower WITHOUT THE USE OF FIREPROOF GLOVES-Insane.

Posted at 10:12 am on Nov 4th, 2009 by Robert

Robert has a point, this is awesome but he should really have gloves on, and possibly something more fire resistant than a t-shirt or a mask. Nobody thinks that they’ll blast themselves in the face with something like this but it can happen.

Posted at 2:53 pm on Nov 4th, 2009 by k0ldBurn

55 seconds in you seem too have a problem with a constant amount of fluid being released when you move around.

Hopefully you didn’t burn your hand lol

Posted at 9:50 pm on Nov 4th, 2009 by Ben

i like the idea alot and the hack for the forcetrainer.a machinic’s heat-resistent/or fire proof glove would be a good idea..also i agree with placing the flexsensor on all of the fingers would save them from getting burned…gives me EVIL ideas for some armor >:)

Posted at 11:39 am on Nov 6th, 2009 by teck monkey

Evil is born, and only one Firefighter can bring him to justice or die trying.

Coming soon to theaters near you.

(dang narrators voice in my head again)

Posted at 11:37 pm on Nov 6th, 2009 by darkshadow6921

this project is cool.but safety should be always first!

Posted at 11:41 am on Nov 8th, 2009 by bullygram

Iron man may be fictional but since he is a tech hero then someday he could become an actual superhero. I wish creative people like this would become rich so they could fund more research.

Posted at 11:08 am on Nov 10th, 2009 by thinking

this was my explanation 12 years ago for ken and ryu x)

Posted at 6:45 pm on Nov 10th, 2009 by nin82

Just wanted to point out that he obviously knows what he is doing and that fire is dangerous.
You people type like he is 12 years old.

Nice build, looks like it would be all kinds of fun for special effects and toasting marshmallows.

Posted at 12:48 am on Nov 12th, 2009 by Spork

Mayde he could mount a lazer on the other had?
eg.
http://lifehacker.com/287252/turn-a-flashlight-into-a-handheld-burning-laser

Posted at 8:56 pm on Nov 19th, 2009 by Sam

this post is pointless without instructions…

Posted at 12:25 pm on Nov 29th, 2009 by UltraMagnus

change the butane with oxy-acetylene and you can cut heavy steel in to pieces or yourself

Posted at 3:18 pm on Dec 27th, 2009 by cv

i made staff from an oak that had a flame thrower.
i used it for a halloween costume. I got some
wierd looks walking down the rode but not once did i burn myself with it.used a gas head from a torch lighter at the top to keep from burning the wood

Posted at 3:22 pm on Dec 27th, 2009 by cv

Improved arm mounted flame thrower

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