This Shout-Activated Flamethrower Will Definitely Help You Get Your Point Across

To be a successful YouTube maker today you’re going to need to build some projects that really stand out. YouTube is designed for entertainment, and even the biggest geeks among us have trouble being entertained by hour-long videos of someone soldering transistors for a homemade 8-bit computer. One of the YouTube kings of maker entertainment is Allen Pan of Sufficiently Advanced, and his newest shout-active flamethrower project does not disappoint.

For this project, Pan was joined by fellow YouTube maker Junie Genius. The goal of the build sounds straightforward enough: make a wearable headset that shoots flames whenever the wearer yells loud enough. But, as you’re probably aware, these things are rarely actually easy — particularly when pyrotechnics are involved. It should go without saying, but don’t attempt this yourself if you don’t want to risk lighting your face on fire.

The project can be divided into two major parts: the electronics, and the mechanical plumbing and headset. The electronics are an Arduino with a microphone. Anytime the microphone picks up sound over a certain level, it opens a solenoid valve in the plumbing. That plumbing is setup for butane, and it’s mounted on what appears to be repurposed hearing protection. After some presumably OSHA-sanctioned balloon safety tests, Allen Pan and Junie Genius proceeded with user tests. As they demonstrate, the flamethrower headset works exactly as you’d expect and is sure to help the wearer win any argument.