Figure AI transported the retired F.02 humanoid robot to the Imatra foundry in Finland, training it to autonomously jump into a 75-ton electric arc furnace to destroy custom actuators and other intellectual property.

CEO Brett Adcock first solicited handling methods online due to insufficient headquarters space and the disassembly slowing down F.04. The vote for "blow it up" received 46.3%, with Arnold Schwarzenegger responding, "It should be melted down," leading to a collaboration on a video. The U.S.-Mexico foundry refused to allow the lithium battery robot to jump into the equipment, and the team sought help from former MythBusters, ultimately only Imatra accepted the order.

Training took place at the San Jose campus: jumping on an airbag on the second floor, using stunt performer movements as references, and then training a new model in simulation to enable the robot to accurately jump into the molten steel bucket at a foundry it had never visited. Three graphite electrodes melted scrap steel on-site, with the team having only 24 hours and six furnace opportunities, each furnace taking about 20 minutes before the surface solidified. The company stated that high temperatures and strong electromagnetic fields caused camera equipment to malfunction, while the robot's control strategy was still operational. Officials emphasized that the footage was not generated video, and the jump was completed autonomously.

The F.02 had previously been deployed at BMW's Spartanburg plant: 11 months of deployment, sheet metal loading, contributing over 30,000 X3s, running over 1,250 hours, and assembling over 90,000 parts. With the expansion of F.03, maintaining F.02 was deemed unprofitable. The melted metal will be returned to the U.S. to be made into limited edition souvenirs for sale; most F.02 units will be scrapped, with a few remaining in the headquarters warehouse. While some spectators cheered, others found the scene unsettling and questioned why disassembly for reuse was not considered.

In market mechanisms, the seller is the humanoid robot company clearing inventory and protecting patents, while the buyer is the audience interested in retired blockbuster films and limited metal pieces. The event was driven by generational change and confidentiality, not new orders. Funds will flow back to the brand from marketing budgets and souvenir sales; beneficiaries include F.03/F.04 attention, while hardware recycling narratives are under pressure, and whether turning scrapping into a film excessively consumes trust is questioned.

Source: Public Information