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Robots Make Fiery Exit: Figure's F.02 Fleet Takes ‘Terminator’-Style Dive into Molten Steel
M
Moneycontrol•02-10-2026, 16:25
Robots Make Fiery Exit: Figure's F.02 Fleet Takes ‘Terminator’-Style Dive into Molten Steel
- •US robotics company Figure decommissioned its F.02 humanoid robot fleet by training them to autonomously jump into a 75-ton electric arc furnace in Imatra, Finland.
- •The dramatic footage, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was deliberately reminiscent of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," with Schwarzenegger suggesting the idea and participating in the video.
- •Figure opted for melting the robots due to the F.02 generation reaching its end-of-life and the complexity of dismantling machines containing proprietary hardware and intellectual property.
- •Finding a suitable facility was challenging, as US and Mexican foundries declined due to lithium-ion batteries, but a Finnish facility eventually agreed.
- •The robots were trained using airbags and AI models to perform the autonomous jump, successfully executing the movements despite extreme heat and electromagnetic interference at the foundry.
Key Questions Answered
Figure melted the robots to avoid the significant engineering time required to dismantle custom actuators and proprietary hardware individually, which could have delayed work on the F.04 generation.
Engineers first practiced the movement at Figure's San Jose facility using large airbags and stunt performers as references, then trained a specialized AI model to help the robots accurately reach the furnace in Finland.
The resulting metal was sent back to the United States and is being turned into a limited series of commemorative artefacts.
