Figure AI destroys humanoid robot fleet in molten steel

Figure AI has decommissioned its fleet of Figure 02 humanoid robots by training them to jump autonomously into a molten steel furnace. The operation took place at a foundry in Imatra, Finland.

The decision to destroy the robots rather than manually disassemble them was driven by the need to protect proprietary hardware and intellectual property, such as custom actuators, while accelerating the development of the next-generation F. 04 model. The company noted that manual disassembly would have been too time-consuming for technical staff.

The method was inspired by a social media suggestion from actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who advised the company to melt them down, a nod to the iconic ending of ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’. After being rejected by foundries in the United States and Mexico due to the risks posed by lithium-ion batteries, the company successfully completed the task in Finland using an electric arc furnace.

To prepare for the task, Figure engineers used AI simulations and physical training on airbags in San Jose, California, to teach the robots how to execute precise jumps. The company stated that the footage of the robots entering the molten metal is authentic and not digitally generated.