Figure melts decommissioned F.02 AI robots into limited-edition memorabilia

Why Figure retired the F.02 fleet

Figure, a U.S.-based robotics company, decommissioned its F.02 AI robots by sending them into a 75-ton furnace filled with molten steel. The company said maintaining the fleet no longer made sense as its next-generation F.03 increases in number.

Disassembling the older robots was described as difficult and time-consuming. Figure did not want to transfer them to another third party because they contained substantial proprietary technology, while using an internal team would divert personnel from important projects, including the F.04 model in development.

From social media idea to molten steel

CEO Brett Adcock sought ideas on X for a proper sendoff and received a reply from Arnold Schwarzenegger: "You should melt them." Figure then carried out the idea. The process began with the team training its robots to jump from the second story of its office building onto an airbag and finding a foundry willing to accept robots with lithium batteries being dumped into a molten steel vat.

Precision was required for the movements, with Figure referencing stunt artists. The company eventually found a site in Finland that gave it 24 hours and six melts to finish. The robots remained operational until the end despite the heat from molten steel and electromagnetic fields produced by high-voltage electricity flowing through three large graphite electrodes.

Memorabilia and room for newer robots

The resulting metal bars were returned to the United States and machined into limited-edition memorabilia commemorating the F.02. One robot was filmed giving a thumbs-up sign as it sank into molten metal. Most of the fleet has been melted down and recycled, while a small number remain in storage at Figure's headquarters.

Disposing of the retired fleet allows Figure to free space for newer models and reduces the risk of proprietary technology reaching competitors. The decommissioning also provided a real-life Terminator-style ending for the F.02 series.