Figure Melts Obsolete Robot Fleet in 75-Ton Steel Furnace
The robotics startup decommissioned its older F.02 generation by having them destroyed in molten steel, citing the impracticality of disassembly and the proprietary nature of the hardware.
Figure, a robotics company based in the United States, opted for an unconventional retirement strategy for its aging F.02 robot fleet: destruction in a massive furnace containing 75 tons of molten steel. The company determined that continuing to operate and maintain these machines no longer justified the expense, particularly as production of its successor model, the F.03, ramped up.
Disassembly presented a significant obstacle. The older robots contained substantial amounts of proprietary technology that prevented the company from simply transferring them to another organization. Dedicating internal staff to the painstaking work of taking them apart would have diverted resources from other priorities, including development of the F.04 model currently in progress.
CEO Brett Adcock turned to X, seeking suggestions for what he called "a proper sendoff" for the machines. The response came from an unexpected source: Arnold Schwarzenegger. "You should melt them," the actor replied. Figure followed through on the suggestion, as documented in video footage of the destruction.