A scene borrowed from science fiction
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 descends into a furnace at the end of the film, destroying itself to prevent its technology from being used again. A video released by humanoid-robot company Figure AI has brought a similar image into the real world: retired robots appear to leap into a furnace filled with molten metal.
The robots were not acting out of fear, sacrifice, or a decision of their own. Figure AI trained them to carry out a specific physical movement as part of a planned disposal process. The dramatic resemblance to the film is real, but the robot’s apparent “choice” is a product of human direction and training.
The robots did not independently decide to destroy themselves. Figure AI prepared them to perform a rehearsed action as part of the company’s retirement process.
Why the company retired its older robots
Figure AI had decided to phase out its older F.02 humanoid robot as it developed newer versions, the F.03 and F.04. A humanoid robot is a machine designed with a body shape broadly resembling a person, often with a head, torso, arms, and legs so it can work in spaces built for humans.
The F.02 model, about 170 centimeters tall, was introduced in August 2024. Figure described it as an early home and logistics robot. It had also been deployed at a BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where it inserted sheet-metal parts for a welding process—an example of a robot taking on repetitive factory work rather than a science-fiction battle role.
Retiring a complex robot can be more involved than simply throwing away a household appliance. A machine may contain valuable components, batteries, sensors, and proprietary software or hardware designs. Figure said a conventional teardown would require considerable time and effort, while dismantling the robots could also create a risk that details of the company’s technology might be exposed.
Schwarzenegger’s suggestion—and a difficult search
Figure sought ideas for how to dispose of the older machines. Schwarzenegger, whose best-known role is the T-800 in the Terminator films, suggested melting them down, echoing the movie’s famous ending.
The suggestion was simple to describe but difficult to arrange safely. The company needed a foundry with an electric arc furnace (an industrial furnace that uses electrical arcs to melt metal) and staff willing to handle a robot containing a lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries, the rechargeable cells used in many phones, laptops, and electric vehicles, can catch fire or explode if damaged or exposed to extreme heat.
Foundries in the United States and Mexico reportedly declined the job because of concerns about the batteries. A foundry in Imatra, Finland, ultimately agreed to carry it out. Its willingness to take on the task highlights a practical challenge behind the striking footage: industrial disposal must account for hazardous materials, not just the metal shell of a machine.
Training for a carefully timed jump
Before sending the robots to Finland, Figure trained them at its US headquarters to perform the movement. The training model drew on stunt performers’ movements. The robots practiced jumping from a second floor to an airbag below, building experience with the motion before they encountered the foundry.
That preparation mattered because the furnace was an unfamiliar setting, and the opportunity to use it was limited. Figure said the electric arc furnace was available for only six melting cycles during a 24-hour period, with each cycle lasting about 20 minutes. The robots then carried out the jump into the furnace during those scheduled windows.
In this context, “learning” a movement does not mean a machine understands death or makes a humanlike choice. It means a robot has been trained or programmed to reproduce a physical sequence—much as an industrial arm can be taught to repeat a welding motion. The planning, safety decisions, and purpose of the demonstration remained human responsibilities.
What the video shows—and what it does not
Figure said the footage shows real robots entering the furnace and was not created with computer-generated imagery or generative AI. Schwarzenegger also appeared in the video. The company said the metal produced by melting the robots was brought back to its US headquarters and was being made into limited-edition commemorative items.
The video presents a genuine industrial operation, but it is also a carefully staged company production. Its resemblance to a movie finale makes the disposal memorable and gives the company a striking way to tell a story about retiring an older product line.
Reactions: impressive spectacle or unsettling image?
Viewers responded in different ways. Some described the video as an effective marketing idea or a remarkable technological spectacle. Others said it was disturbing to watch human-shaped machines apparently throw themselves into a furnace.
That discomfort is understandable. Humanlike bodies invite people to read intention and emotion into a machine’s movements. A robot that walks, balances, and jumps can appear to act like a person even when it is following a trained routine. The gap between what a machine is doing and what viewers feel they are seeing is part of why the clip has attracted attention.
- For the company, melting the robots offered a dramatic way to retire equipment while limiting conventional teardown.
- For foundries, battery handling and furnace safety were central concerns.
- For viewers, the scene raises questions about how machines should be portrayed and whether a humanlike robot’s disposal should be treated as a routine industrial process or a troubling spectacle.
The larger challenge of retiring robots
As robots become more common in factories, warehouses, and homes, companies will have to plan not only how machines are built and used, but also how they are decommissioned. A robot may combine metals, electronics, batteries, cameras, and software that should not all be handled in the same way. Safe disposal can involve separating hazardous parts, protecting confidential designs, and deciding whether components can be reused or recycled.
Melting a complete robot may make for memorable footage, but it is not automatically the most sustainable or widely suitable disposal method. Recycling and reuse can preserve valuable materials, while batteries generally require specialized handling. The right approach depends on the robot’s design, the risks involved, available facilities, and applicable safety rules.
The footage is a striking marketing moment, but its practical lesson is less cinematic: robot makers need safe, secure, and responsible plans for what happens when machines reach the end of their working lives.
The Terminator comparison is likely to remain the story’s most memorable hook. The more consequential question is what happens as humanoid robots move from demonstrations into everyday workplaces—and whether the systems used to manufacture, operate, and retire them keep pace with their growing capabilities.
