Figure AI has retired most of its Figure 02 humanoid robot fleet by training them to autonomously jump into molten steel, a decision inspired by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's suggestion to 'melt them.' The robots were shipped to a foundry in Finland after U.S. and Mexican facilities declined to handle units with lithium-ion batteries.
This unusual decommissioning method was necessary as maintaining the Figure 02 fleet became impractical with the growth of the Figure 03 fleet. The Figure 02 robots had previously contributed to significant company milestones, including deployments in logistics and household chores. The destruction of the robots was also essential to securely dispose of proprietary hardware.
Looking ahead, Figure AI has indicated that the melted steel will be repurposed into a limited series of commemorative artifacts. The company has retained a small number of Figure 02 units in storage, but most have now been destroyed. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Editor's Note
The retirement of the Figure 02 humanoid robots highlights a unique approach to decommissioning in the robotics industry. As companies like Figure AI transition to newer models, the challenge of securely disposing of older technology becomes increasingly important. This incident may influence future practices in robot lifecycle management and sustainability.
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