Figure, a robotics company, has decommissioned its F.02 AI robot fleet by melting the units in a 75-ton vat of molten steel. The idea for this disposal method was suggested by Arnold Schwarzenegger on the social media platform X in response to a request from Figure CEO Brett Adcock.
The company secured a foundry in Finland to perform the process, which was completed within a 24-hour window across six separate melts. The robots remained operational until the final moments of the process, despite exposure to intense heat and electromagnetic fields from the foundry equipment.
The resulting metal was transported back to the United States and processed into limited-edition memorabilia. Most of the F.02 fleet has been recycled, though a small number of units remain in storage at the company headquarters to make room for future robot models.
The disposal process was designed to prevent proprietary technology from being acquired by competitors. During the final stages, one of the robots was recorded performing a thumbs-up gesture as it was submerged into the molten metal.
