James Cameron teaches that the only way to be sure about a killer humanoid robot is to melt one. Even then, it’s not certain. Robotics company Figure still thinks it looks cool, which is why it has given its F.02 humanoid robot lineup a fiery sendoff.
The company’s decommissioning video, available on YouTube, doesn’t just feature Figure 02 robots jumping into an electric arc furnace. It also has a cameo from the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The way the robotics outfit tells it, the video was Arnie’s idea.
Humanoid robot father Figure
The decommissioning video starts as a nod to the closing scenes of Terminator 2, where Arnie’s T-800 lowers itself into molten metal to preserve humanity’s future. The whole presentation is fairly sombre, with the Austrian actor himself on hand to give an approving nod… after pressing the button that does the deed. But Figure had more than one robot to dispose of, and those were less careful affairs.
No less complicated, though. F.02 had reached the end of its life cycle, and Figure reckoned that “[d]isassembling each robot would take our technical staff so much time that it would delay the launch of F.04.” The reason for possible disassembly was to protect company information from competitors. Instead, they were simply melted.
The robot lineup was pre-programmed first to perform a last acrobatic stunt as they flung themselves into the furnace below. The results, and the footage, are all spectacular. A humanoid robot cannonballing into a pool of molten metal is impressive. The act is slightly beaten by a backflip into an active volcano, but that’s too hard to film (for now). Figure and Arnie’s plan will have to do.
