F.02 Decommission
The company faced a logistical challenge: disassembling the robots to protect proprietary hardware would have consumed too much technical staff time. After consulting with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who suggested melting the units, Figure sought a foundry capable of handling robots with lithium-ion batteries. No US or Mexican foundries agreed, so the company partnered with a facility in Imatra,…
Key points
- Robots were trained via simulation to jump autonomously into molten steel, avoiding manual disassembly delays.
- The melted metal is being turned into limited-edition artifacts, with Arnold Schwarzenegger involved in the project.
To execute the plan, Figure trained the F.02 robots using AI simulations and stunt artist references to jump accurately into a bucket of molten steel. The robots were shipped to Finland, where they performed the jumps into a 75-ton electric arc furnace. The operation required precise timing, with only a 20-minute window per melt before the steel cooled. Despite extreme heat and electromagnetic interference that damaged other electronics, the robots' AI policies functioned as intended.
The resulting metal has been machined into a limited series of commemorative artifacts. Figure confirmed that the footage is real, emphasizing that the robots autonomously jumped into the furnace. This event marks the end of the F.02 era, with only a few units remaining in storage at the company's headquarters.
F.02 Decommission
figure.ai · 2 October 2026
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Coverage and discussion
2sources- Hacker News discussion · 42 pointsnews.ycombinator.com
- AI robot company decommissioned its robots ‘Terminator-style’ in a 75-ton vat of molten steelPress · Tom's Hardware ·
The headline, key points and digest above were generated by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources. Automated summaries can contain errors: the sources are the record. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Published by Martin K., who runs Digest AI and handles corrections.
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