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These Robots Helped Build BMW X3s, Then Jumped Into Molten Steel

Figure says its retired F.02 robots were deliberately trained to jump into molten steel after helping handle sheet-metal parts for BMW X3 production.
Entry144 Date Time3 min MechanicCarCody Team

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Figure says it deliberately trained most of its retired F.02 humanoid robots to jump into molten steel—not because the robots chose to self-destruct, but because the company wanted to retire them without labor-intensive disassembly or exposing proprietary hardware. Before that, Figure 02 spent ten months at BMW’s Plant Spartanburg handling sheet-metal components used in BMW X3 production.

What Figure says happened to the retired robots

In a September 30, 2026 account, Figure said its F.02 fleet had become impractical to maintain as its newer F.03 fleet grew. Taking the robots apart would occupy technical staff and, Figure said, could delay the F.04 launch. The company also said it wanted to protect custom-built actuators and other proprietary hardware.

Figure says it asked the public for disposal ideas. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested melting the robots and later participated in the project, according to the company. Foundries contacted in the United States and Mexico declined to take robots containing lithium-ion batteries; Figure says a foundry in Imatra, Finland, agreed to do it. Figure’s account of the decommissioning is the source for the operational details below.

How the jump was prepared

Figure says its team practiced at the company’s San Jose campus using airbags, referred to stunt performers’ movements, and trained a new AI model in simulation. The company says the model was prepared for a foundry the team had not visited before the operation.

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What happened at the foundry

Figure describes the equipment as a 75-ton electric arc furnace powered by three graphite electrodes and used to melt solid steel scrap. The 75-ton figure is the furnace’s capacity, not the weight of robots or the amount of molten steel in a particular melt.

Figure says the crew had 24 hours and handled six melts. Each melt offered a 20-minute window before the steel cooled and formed a hard crust. The company says most of the F.02 fleet is now gone, while a few robots remain stored at its headquarters. Figure says the resulting metal bars were sent to the United States to be machined into a limited series of commemorative artifacts.

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What the robots did at BMW

At BMW Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, Figure 02 retrieved and positioned sheet-metal components for welding. BMW’s September 21, 2026 account says the ten-month pilot supported production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles. That is not the same as saying the humanoids assembled complete cars: their reported production task was component handling.

BMW reports that Figure 02 moved more than 90,000 components, worked about 1,250 operating hours, and took approximately 1.2 million steps during the pilot. These are BMW-reported figures, not independently measured totals. BMW also says the project informed safety concepts, including additional barriers and partitions, and led to improvements in plant 5G coverage. Its 2026 account of the pilot and follow-on plans says the next Spartanburg project is planned to use Figure 03 for sequencing logistics tasks; it does not establish that this deployment has already happened.

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The BMW-Figure relationship began publicly with a 2024 trial announcement. BMW then described a several-week trial in which Figure 02 inserted sheet-metal parts into fixtures that were later assembled as part of a chassis. That earlier trial is described in BMW Plant Spartanburg’s 2024 release; it predates the longer pilot reported in 2026.

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Why choose melting instead of disassembly?

Figure’s stated rationale was a trade-off: disassembly would require technical staff time and, in the company’s view, could slow a product launch, while melting would destroy the hardware and let Figure control access to proprietary components. That is the company’s explanation, not an independently audited comparison of costs, security, or environmental effects.

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The available company accounts do not quantify how much robot material was recovered, the process’s environmental impact, or its lifecycle emissions. The fact that metal bars were produced does not by itself establish a net environmental benefit. Figure’s operational description is also a company account; the published sources do not provide independent foundry records verifying each technical detail.

What happens to the metal

Figure says the bars were returned to the United States for machining into a limited series of commemorative artifacts. The company linked an offer for those artifacts from its decommissioning page, but availability and terms can change.

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BMW Production board member Dr. Milan Nedeljković said, “Digitalisation makes our production more competitive, both here in Europe and worldwide.” BMW presented that statement as part of its broader production strategy, not as a comment on Figure’s molten-steel project.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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