F.02 Decommission
Figure AI decommissioned its F.02 humanoid robot fleet by training them to jump autonomously into a molten steel furnace in Finland in a Terminator-inspired marketing stunt.
summary is enough The article details a viral marketing stunt that is fully captured in a brief summary, though the comment thread provides an amusing debate on its cultural implications.
summary
Figure AI needed to securely destroy its proprietary F.02 humanoid robot fleet without spending months on manual disassembly. Partnering with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the team trained the robots in simulation to leap autonomously into an electric arc furnace at a foundry in Finland. The resulting metal has been shipped back to the US to be machined into limited-edition commemorative artifacts.
key points
- Figure trained the F.02 robots in simulation to execute autonomous jumps from a building interior into a precise target.
- The disposal was conducted at a foundry in Imatra, Finland, after domestic facilities refused the risk of lithium-ion batteries.
- The melted robot remnants are being repurposed into a limited run of physical artifacts for collectors.
who should read it
Robotics enthusiasts and tech industry observers following humanoid robot developments.
discussion mixed
consensus
Commenters are split between those celebrating the stunt as a masterclass in hacker rule of cool and critics viewing it as an expensive, tone-deaf PR distraction for a pre-product company.
pushback
Skeptics raised technical safety concerns regarding the violent explosion risks of dropping lithium-ion batteries and fluids into a steel furnace crucible.
Is this real? You have to be really careful what goes into a furnace crucible.
I can't say this isn't but if these robots had any hydraulic fluid or liquid in their batteries I would expect to see a pretty serious explosion as it evaporates.
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxRJlcNh2A
It questions the operational physics and explosion risks of introducing lithium-ion batteries and fluids into an industrial steel furnace.
Generated by an LLM from the article and thread. Check the sources before relying on it.