Figure sent its old F.02 robots into molten steel, Terminator 2-style

In late September 2026, US-based Figure retired its fleet of Figure 02 (F.02) humanoid robots and filmed the disposal like a movie scene. The machines were programmed to lower themselves into molten steel, recreating the finale of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The company published the footage online. The new-generation F.03 robots replace the F.02.

What we know about the incident

The facts are thin so far. The source reports three things: the disposal took place in late September 2026, the subject was the old F.02 robots, and the method was the robots lowering themselves into molten steel. It also says that dismantling the old fleet by hand for decommissioning turned out to be difficult. The text of the available material cuts off at that point, so the exact reasons (labor intensity, cost, timing) remain unstated.

The details that matter most for judging the scale are also missing: how many machines actually went into the furnace. The source does not say whether the batteries and electronics were removed beforehand. This could have been a demonstration with a handful of units or a full disposal of the entire fleet. For now there is only a video, and a video by definition shows the best angle.

The show as a tool

Figure has long played the public-company game. It unveiled the F.02 in August 2024, and the robot went through a pilot project at a BMW plant. In October 2025, the company introduced the F.03. According to reports from last year, the startup raised more than a billion dollars at a valuation of about $39 billion. At those stakes, attention becomes an asset, and a generational change has to look like an event, not a scheduled equipment swap.

The Terminator 2 reference works on two levels. The first is virality: a recognizable scene, an easy visual code, simple to retell. The second is a signal to the market: we no longer need the previous generation, we are moving on. For a company that changes its platform roughly every 14 months, it is a strong marketing move.

The imagery has a downside. For a mass audience, a humanoid robot in molten metal is exactly the kind of story that feeds fears of automation. The company is knowingly taking that risk for the sake of reach.

Key data

• Company: Figure (USA)
• Retired model: Figure 02 (F.02)
• Successor: Figure 03 (F.03)
• Date: late September 2026
• Disposal method: immersion in molten steel
• Reference: the finale of Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Publication format: video online
• Not disclosed: the number of robots, the fate of the batteries and electronics, the cost of the operation

Practical takeaway

Behind the flashy video sits a question the industry has so far avoided: what to do with humanoid robots once they become obsolete. This is not abstract. Inside such a machine are heavy lithium-ion batteries, actuators, magnets, cameras and locally stored data. One upgrade cycle every year to year and a half means a lot of waste.

Integrators and customers planning pilots should spell out four points in their contracts up front: the terms for returning obsolete machines, battery recycling, guaranteed data erasure from onboard storage, and responsibility for disposal. If a vendor is willing to show these things as a spectacle, it is reasonable to ask what the boring version of the same process looks like.

The fact itself is also telling for market watchers. Figure is showing that it considers the F.02 a closed chapter, and it is betting on the F.03. How the new generation performs on real production floors will become clear from the results of pilots, not from footage shot in a smelter.