According to Electrek, Figure decommissioned its second-generation F.02 humanoid robots by having them leap into a vat of molten steel at a foundry in Imatra, Finland. The move was inspired by Terminator 2, and the company trained the robots using stunt performers' motion capture and simulation before the real jump.
The disposal method addresses two concerns: keeping proprietary technology out of competitors' hands and recovering expensive raw materials. Figure said no foundries in the US or Mexico would accept robots with lithium-ion batteries, so the company turned to Finland, where a 75-ton electric arc furnace was used. Despite extreme heat and electromagnetic fields, the robots' AI ran seamlessly, though surrounding electronics failed.
The metal from the melted robots was sent back to the US and is being machined into a limited series of artifacts commemorating the F.02. The source does not discuss the climate or energy implications of the process, but the episode illustrates the growing challenge of safely recycling advanced robotics hardware.