- Figure decommissioned its F.02 robots by melting them in a furnace in Finland
- Arnold Schwarzenegger advised on the Terminator-themed disposal video concept
- Furnace disposal prevents reverse-engineering and saves engineering time
US robotics firm Figure has turned the decommissioning of its older Figure 02 (F.02) humanoid robots into a carefully staged, almost cinematic event. In a promotional video, the decommissioned robots from the BMW plant are seen being disposed of in a furnace with molten metal. The move seems inspired by the movie Terminator and has been executed on the advice of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator himself.
What Happened?
In the video, one F.02 is lowered into a 75-ton electric arc furnace in Imatra, Finland, while others leap in independently. One of the robots is seen executing a somersault echoing the molten-metal destruction of the T-800 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played the iconic cyborg, advised on the concept and appears in the footage.
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Materialising The Idea
Figure says the dramatic disposal was driven by practical constraints rather than spectacle alone. Keeping the F.02 fleet operational alongside the newer F.03 generation would have been too complex, and manually dismantling the robots would have consumed engineering time the company would rather devote to developing the upcoming F.04. Melting the units ensured that protected components, including sensitive electronics and proprietary hardware, could not be reverse-engineered or reused.
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Finding a partner willing to carry out the operation proved difficult. Several plant operators in the US and Mexico declined, citing safety concerns around the robots' lithium-ion batteries, which had to remain installed so the machines could move and jump under their own power. A foundry in Imatra eventually agreed to collaborate with Figure on the project.
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Robots Jumping In The Furnace
The sequence was meticulously planned. Former MythBusters team members and Schwarzenegger himself contributed to the concept. In the video, an F.02 gives a "thumbs up" while leaning over the molten bath, a direct reference to Terminator 2. Before the Finland shoot, the robots' jumps were trained at Figure's San Jose headquarters using stuntmen's movements as templates, first in simulation and then onto air cushions to refine accuracy.
Figure has not disclosed how many F.02 units were shipped to Finland or how many remain at its headquarters. The melted material has been brought back to the US, where the company plans to craft souvenirs. Figure emphasises that the decommissioning footage is real and not digitally generated, blending industrial necessity with a carefully curated nod to sci-fi history.