{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/f-02-decommission","json":"https://digestai.news/story/f-02-decommission.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/f-02-decommission.md","slug":"f-02-decommission","headline":"F.02 Decommission","summary":"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, Finland.\n\nTo 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.\n\nThe 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.","keyPoints":["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."],"whyItMatters":"This demonstrates advanced robotic autonomy in extreme, unstructured environments. It highlights Figure's shift from F.02 to F.03/F.04 and showcases a novel approach to hardware disposal that protects IP while leveraging AI capabilities.","category":{"slug":"robotics","name":"Robotics & Physical AI","url":"https://digestai.news/category/robotics"},"entities":{"companies":["BMW"],"models":["F.02","F.03","F.04","Helix"],"people":["Arnold Schwarzenegger"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-02T10:57:27Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-02T10:57:27Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"figure.ai","title":"F.02 Decommission","url":"https://figure.ai/news/f-02-decommission","publishedAt":"2026-10-02T10:57:27Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[{"site":"Hacker News","url":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49932079","points":42}],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"F.02 Decommission\", 2 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/f-02-decommission","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"F.02 Decommission","datePublished":"2026-10-02T10:57:27Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/f-02-decommission"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}