Figure Melts Retired Figure 02 In Finnish Blast Furnace On Schwarzenegger's Suggestion
Figure turned the retirement of an obsolete robot into branded entertainment, and Schwarzenegger's one-word reply is what set the disposal's location, staging, and commemorative merchandise in motion.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Figure disposed of its Figure 02 humanoid robot in a 75-ton electric arc furnace at a foundry in Imatra, Finland, after Arnold Schwarzenegger replied "Melt it" to CEO Brett Adcock's August 20, 2026 post asking what to do with the retired machine. The crew had 24 hours and 6 melting cycles, with roughly 20 minutes of filmable time per cycle. Schwarzenegger appears in the video beside the furnace. Metal from the melt was made into commemorative items.
The melt happened at a foundry in Imatra, Finland, after Figure said no foundry it contacted in the U.S. or Mexico would put a lithium-ion battery equipped robot into its equipment. Filming ran on a tight schedule: 24 hours, 6 melting cycles, and about 20 minutes per cycle before the surface of the molten steel began to solidify.
The video follows the scene it borrows from. Figure 02 grips a chain and descends into the furnace as the Terminator 2 theme plays, a staff member in a heat-resistant suit works the remote control, and the suit comes off to reveal Schwarzenegger, who offers a thumbs-up and says, "Hasta la vista, Figure 02." Figure says the robot trained the dive by jumping from the second floor of headquarters onto a large airbag. Metal from the melt was processed into commemorative items carrying serial numbers reading 01/50.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.