Humanoid robots once used to build BMWs met a dramatic end, “self-terminating” by plunging themselves into a vat of molten steel in a scene straight out of Terminator 2.
Much like the T-800, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie, the BMW-building F.02 robots had become obsolete. Unlike in the movie, they weren’t replaced by an advanced, shape-shifting prototype composed of liquid metal. At least, not yet.
They were, however, like the T-800, ordered by their maker to end themselves in a vat of molten steel.
Not that is was that simple. It never is when you are trying to get humanoid robots to self-terminate. (Unless they are running the 100-meter dash.)
It turns out that Figure AI, the company that made the robots, at least one of which was supposedly employed at a South Carolina BMW plant, had a hard time finding somewhere to conduct the stunt.
The Drive reports that the plan began at the company’s San Jose headquarters, where the robots performed multiple test falls, dives, and flips onto enormous airbags while stuntpeople taught them choreography. They also added computer simulations to the robots’ architecture.
Despite getting Arnold Schwarzenegger himself to join in the fun, they had a hard time finding somewhere to do it
After all of that, Figure AI says that all of the foundries they contacted in the United States and Mexico rejected their idea. They finally found one in Finland that would let them carry out the “self-termination” of the robots. They even somehow got Arnold Schwarzenegger himself to participate.
“In an age of AI-generated footage, it’s worth being clear,” Figure AI explained. “We really trained robots to jump autonomously, shipped them to Finland, and had them leap into a vat of molten steel. We hope you enjoy the film.”
“Figure 02 takes its final jump straight into molten steel,” Figure AI wrote in the caption to an Instagram video of the stunt. “After becoming part of some of Figure’s biggest milestones, the second-generation humanoid was retired at a steel foundry in Finland, where its melted metal will be turned into limited-edition souvenirs. A real life ending that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie.
“What makes the moment even more remarkable is the environment it was operating in. Figure says the extreme heat and strong electromagnetic fields caused problems for cameras and other electronic equipment, while Figure 02 continued operating normally with its own AI program. And yes this was real, not AI generated.”
Should you be the kind of person who collects such things, as mentioned by the company, the molten remnants of the robots have been transformed into “limited-edition artifacts” that are available for purchase.