Figure retires F.02 humanoid robots in molten steel

Figure, the California-based AI robotics startup, says it retired a group of two-year-old F.02 humanoid robots by sending them into a vat of molten steel at a foundry in Imatra, Finland.

The company said it chose the method after seeking suggestions on social media. Founder and CEO Brett Adcock had asked on X for ideas, saying a robot deserved a “proper send-off.” Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for playing a cyborg assassin in the 1984 film The Terminator, replied: “You should melt them.”

Figure said foundries in the United States and Mexico declined to take the robots because they run on lithium-ion batteries and could damage expensive equipment. The company said the process required extensive training but was more efficient than conventional methods.

In a blog post, Figure said dismantling robots fitted with custom actuators and other proprietary technology would take technical staff so long that it could delay the launch of the next-generation F.04. It said the robots had to be disposed of in a way that protected its proprietary hardware.

The episode follows other reports of robots described as having “committed suicide.” A security robot named Steve fell into a fountain in Washington, DC, in 2017; its developers later attributed the accident to a technical fault. In 2024, workers at South Korea’s Gumi City Council found an AI-powered robot motionless at the bottom of a 2-meter staircase. Its manufacturer said it was a routine malfunction, not a revolt or exhaustion.