Figure AI retires F.02: humanoid robot “autonomously” leaps into molten steel to be destroyed
Figure AI staged a highly ritualized retirement: its F.02 humanoid robot, on command, autonomously walked toward a furnace filled with 1,500°C molten steel and leaped in, announcing its retirement in this extreme way.
Key points
- Maximum ceremony: Choosing to destroy the robot in molten steel rather than dismantle and recycle it was clearly a carefully planned piece of brand performance art.
- Technology showcase: The robot autonomously completed the full-body sequence of walking to the furnace and leaping in, which was itself a public demonstration of its motion-control capabilities.
- Generational turnover: F.02's retirement means a newer model is about to take over, and the pace of humanoid robot iteration is speeding up.
The “cremation” show set off heated discussion on social media: some saw technology, some saw marketing, and others began seriously discussing the “ethics of robot retirement” — as machines become ever more human-like, how should we say goodbye to them?
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