Figure, a robot manufacturer, recycled most of its F.02 robot units by dropping them into a liquid metal vat inspired by a scene from the Terminator movie, and made the process interesting to watch. Rather than individually disassembling and destroying the old robots, the company decided on liquid metal recycling as it saves engineering time. Since the units contain lithium-ion batteries, which were not accepted by factories in the United States and Mexico, the recycling process was carried out at a facility in Imatra, Finland.
Before starting this operation, engineers trained the robots using air bags to study the movements of stunt performers and prepare them to jump. Then, at the Finnish facility, they programmed and simulated an AI control system on a computer to enable the robots to jump accurately into a 75-ton liquid metal vat without error. The robots then automatically jumped into the vat. This innovative plan was inspired by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's suggestion to recreate the Terminator movie scene.
After the liquid metal recycling process, the resulting metals were converted into metal ingots and shipped back to the United States. Some of these metals will be used to produce F.02 memorial items. While most of the F.02 robots have now been destroyed, a few have been preserved in storage as keepsakes.
Ref: Technology Innovation
