It looks like a scene from a science fiction film. A Figure F.02 humanoid robot walks to the edge of a giant furnace, pauses, and leaps into a pool of glowing molten steel. This really happened. These Figure F.02 humanoid robots were being retired, and their maker chose the most dramatic exit imaginable.
These Figure F.02 humanoid robots belonged to the company’s F.02 fleet. The model was unveiled in August 2024 and even worked at the BMW plant in Spartanburg in the United States. Now a newer fleet, the F.03, has arrived. The old robots had to go.
The company trained the retired Figure F.02 humanoid robots to jump into a 75 ton electric arc furnace at a foundry in Imatra, Finland. Foundries in the United States and Mexico refused to host the event. The reason was the lithium ion batteries inside the robots, which can be dangerous in extreme heat. The Finnish foundry agreed.
Training a Figure F.02 humanoid robot to jump into a furnace is not simple. At Figure’s headquarters in San Jose, the robots practiced jumps onto airbags. They jumped from a second floor to learn how to land safely. The team also studied how stunt performers move and fed those movements into the robot’s control software. According to Interesting Engineering, the whole routine was rehearsed in simulation before the real jump.
Hollywood added its own touch. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the star of the Terminator films, suggested the meltdown idea. He also appears in the video, watching as the Figure F.02 humanoid robots enter the furnace. The scene mirrors the famous ending of Terminator 2, where the hero lowers himself into molten steel.
Figure says the stunt had a serious purpose. Melting the Figure F.02 humanoid robots destroys the proprietary hardware inside them, so no competitor can study it. Taking each robot apart by hand would have pulled engineers away from the next generation F.04 program. The melted steel was recycled, and some of it was cast into small commemorative artifacts.
Let us be honest about what this was. Figure insists the footage is real and not made by AI. The event did happen. But it was also a brilliant marketing show. A quiet recycling job would never make headlines around the world. Note that the company did not say exactly how many robots were melted, only that it was most of the fleet.
Figure F.02 Humanoid Robot: From Factory Floor to Furnace
The Figure F.02 humanoid robot had a short but busy life. Figure unveiled it in August 2024 as a major upgrade over earlier models. The robots went to work at BMW’s Spartanburg plant, handling real factory tasks. That deployment proved humanoid robots could work beside humans. Now the F.03 fleet takes over, with longer battery life and smarter hands, and the F.04 is already in development. The humanoid robot race is heating up worldwide, with Chinese firms building robots by the thousands.
Retiring robots is a new problem for the industry. As humanoid fleets grow, companies must decide what to do with old models. According to Notebookcheck, Figure’s answer was the most dramatic so far. Others may choose quieter recycling. In Hong Kong, humanoid robots already run convenience stores, so retired robots may soon be everywhere.
Destruction or Just Good Marketing
The business logic is simple. A Figure F.02 humanoid robot full of secret technology cannot be sold for scrap. Melting it guarantees the secrets die with it. Engineers stay focused on the future instead of taking old machines apart screw by screw.
Still, nobody needed a Hollywood star and a Finnish furnace for that. A shredder would do the job. Figure knew exactly what it was doing. According to InShorts, the video spread across the internet within hours. The company turned an industrial chore into a global show. Even affordable humanoid robots for homes are now arriving, so public attention matters more than ever.
The MES Times Take: There was no kinder way to say goodbye to the Figure F.02 humanoid robot, and Figure did not look for one. The furnace was practical, the cameras were deliberate, and the result was unforgettable. Beyond the spectacle sits a real question every robotics company will soon face. What do we owe the machines we build once we are done with them. For now the answer is molten steel and a good story. Rest in pieces, F.02. You leapt like a hero.
