Anti-Bear Flamethrower

David Girag of Glendale, CA recently was granted a patent (11,877,572) for a "portable flame propelling device" to deter an attack by an animal "such as a bear, lion, dog, or human."

I think this would just anger a bear, and then cause a forest fire.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 30, 2024
Category: Animals | Fireworks and Pyrotechnics | Patents | Weapons

Comments

Judging from the picture, it also repels the rare dog-faced hippopotamus.

Posted by ges on 01/30/24 at 07:50 AM

It uses piezoelectric ignition. I've never had one of those light on the first click. Three clicks is more or less standard, but a hundred is possible. (Yes, I know they're ubiquitous, and my furnace and water heater never miss a beat, but anything handheld never works right for me. Common: lighter with a long stem for use in starting charcoal, it's always faster and easier to simply hold the trigger back and light it with a BIC (which uses flint-and-steel technology).)

Posted by Phideaux on 01/30/24 at 04:47 PM

Alex, are you sure it wouldn't first cause a forest fire, and only then and *therefore* anger a certain bear?

Posted by Richard Bos on 02/03/24 at 03:03 PM

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