Figure AI melts most of its F.02 humanoid fleet in a 75 ton steel furnace in Finland

Figure AI, the California based humanoid robot company, announced on September 30, 2026, that it had decommissioned most of its Figure 02 fleet by training the machines to jump autonomously into a 75 ton electric arc furnace at a foundry in Imatra, Finland. The idea came from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor and former governor who famously played the Terminator. Figure AI said on September 30, 2026, that the project was real and not generated with artificial intelligence. The result was a bizarre blend of industrial recycling, intellectual property security and pop culture theatre.

The Figure 02, often written as F.02, was not an ordinary piece of hardware. According to Figure AI, the robot marked many firsts for the company: its first deployment at BMW, the birth of Helix, the first robot doing household chores, and the first logistics deployment. Interesting Engineering reported on September 30, 2026, that the disposal followed the arrival of Figure's newer F.03 fleet, and that keeping the older robots operational no longer made sense. Tom's Hardware reported on October 4, 2026, that the F.03 launched in October 2025 as the next generation humanoid platform built for Helix, Figure's vision language action system. With F.03 units increasing in number, the F.02 line had become a maintenance burden rather than a strategic asset.

Retiring a robot fleet is harder than it sounds. Figure AI said the F.02 units were full of custom built actuators and other intellectual property. Manually disassembling each unit would take technical staff so long that it would delay the launch of the F.04, the next robot in development. Passing the machines to a third party was not an option because they contained proprietary technology. The AI Insider reported on October 1, 2026, that decommissioning was complicated because the fleet contained custom actuators and other proprietary hardware that had to be destroyed securely, yet manual disassembly would take technical staff away from work on Figure 04.

Figure CEO Brett Adcock asked the internet for ideas. According to Figure AI, Arnold Schwarzenegger replied, 'You should melt them.' Figure reached out, and Schwarzenegger agreed to take part. Finding a site willing to do it was another challenge. Figure AI said none of the metal foundries contacted in the United States and Mexico would let Figure jump a robot with lithium ion batteries into their equipment, and even former MythBusters were contacted during the search. The only willing site in the world was a foundry in Imatra, Finland.

Key Facts

Figure AI published its official post, titled F.02 Decommission, on September 30, 2026. The company said training began at its San Jose campus, where it used airbags to teach robots to jump off a second floor. With stunt artists as references, the team trained a new AI model in simulation so the robots could jump accurately into a bucket of molten steel at a foundry the team had never visited. Figure stressed that the footage is real, not AI generated.

The Finnish foundry uses three massive graphite electrodes to power a 75 ton electric arc furnace. According to Figure AI and repeated by The AI Insider, the team had just 24 hours and six melts. Each melt offered only a 20 minute window before the molten steel cooled into a hard crust. Despite extreme heat and electromagnetic fields, the robots ran their AI policies seamlessly while cameras and other electronics failed.

Interesting Engineering reported on September 30, 2026, that the machines autonomously leaped into the furnace and were reduced to molten metal. The resulting metal bars were sent back to the United States and are being machined into a limited series of artifacts commemorating F.02. Most of the F.02 fleet is gone, and a few units remain in storage at headquarters.

Tom's Hardware reported on October 4, 2026, that one robot held up a thumbs up sign as it sank into the molten metal. The article also noted that Figure emphasized the footage was not AI generated. Phandroid reported on October 2, 2026, that Schwarzenegger was present at the melting, made his signature thumbs up pose and said, 'Hasta la vista, F.02.' Phandroid also noted that the company did not say exactly how many robots it melted.

The numbers involved are unusual for a robotics story: a 75 ton furnace, three graphite electrodes, 24 hours, six melts, and a roughly 20 minute window per melt. The transition from F.02 to F.03, with F.04 in development, frames the event as a lifecycle milestone rather than a one off stunt.

Analysis

What this really means is that the humanoid robot industry has reached a point where even celebrated machines are disposable. Figure's F.02 had genuine achievements: a BMW deployment, the Helix system, household chores and logistics work. Yet none of that protected it from the furnace. Phandroid reported on October 2, 2026, that the stunt shows how fast the first humanoid models get replaced. The F.02 was retired after the newer F.03 fleet arrived, and the company chose destruction over refurbishment, resale or donation.

The bigger picture here is that intellectual property security now shapes hardware retirement as much as cost. Figure could not simply sell or give away robots filled with custom actuators. Manual disassembly would consume engineers who are needed for F.04. Melting the fleet solved two problems at once: it destroyed proprietary components and turned the process into a marketing event. The fact that US and Mexican foundries refused the lithium ion battery robots, and that former MythBusters were consulted, shows how unusual the disposal problem has become.

There is also a cultural judgement to make. The Terminator parallel is unavoidable. Tom's Hardware described the decommissioning as Terminator style, and the thumbs up sign from a sinking robot turned a serious engineering decision into dark comedy. Schwarzenegger's involvement, from the initial suggestion to his presence and his line 'Hasta la vista, F.02,' made the event a piece of entertainment. But the underlying message is not that robots are rebelling. It is that robots are products, and products can be melted when their replacement cycle is short enough.

That said, the stunt also demonstrated technical strength. The robots kept running their AI policies while cameras and other electronics failed under heat and electromagnetic fields. A machine that can execute a precise jump into a moving molten steel target at a foundry it has never visited is a machine with robust control software. Figure turned a decommissioning into a capability demonstration, even if the capability was aimed at a furnace rather than a factory floor.

Why It Matters

The event matters because it exposes a gap in how advanced hardware is retired. Lithium ion batteries made the F.02 units unwelcome at foundries in the United States and Mexico. That refusal reflects real safety and environmental concerns. As humanoid fleets grow, companies will need standard, regulated paths for dismantling or recycling robots that contain batteries, custom actuators, and sensitive software. Figure's solution, a 75 ton electric arc furnace in Imatra, Finland, was dramatic, but it is not a scalable model for the entire industry.

It also matters for the humanoid race. Figure is not alone. Phandroid contrasted Figure with XPENG's IRON robot, which recently walked off a factory assembly line by itself as XPENG aims for mass production by the end of the year. Figure's decision to destroy most of its F.02 fleet while pushing F.03 and developing F.04 signals that the company is prioritizing the next generation over the last one. The engineering time saved by skipping manual disassembly goes directly into that competition.

Finally, the event matters for public perception. A robot leaping into molten steel is an image that will travel far beyond robotics circles. It can reinforce fears of machines being destroyed or, paradoxically, fears of machines that feel. Figure stressed the footage was real, not AI generated, because in 2026 that distinction is itself a selling point. The company wants viewers to see a controlled, deliberate decommissioning, not a malfunction. Whether audiences read it as a funeral, a stunt or a warning, they will remember the name Figure.

Next Up

Figure AI says most of the F.02 fleet is gone, with a few units in storage at headquarters. The melted metal is being machined into a limited series of commemorative artifacts. The company's focus now shifts to F.03, which is growing in number, and to F.04, which is in development. The decommissioning was designed, in part, to avoid delaying F.04.

Questions remain. Phandroid noted that Figure did not say exactly how many robots it melted. It is also unclear how the commemorative artifacts will be distributed or whether the Finnish foundry will become a regular partner for robot disposal. For now, the next milestone to watch is the F.04 launch and the broader humanoid production race, including XPENG's IRON. The F.02 may be gone, but the competition it helped start is heating up, in more ways than one.