Figure humanoid robots retire bruised after 11 months of work at BMW

California-based Figure AI has officially retired its Figure 02 (F.02) humanoid robots after an 11-month pilot deployment at BMW Manufacturing’s Spartanburg plant. During this period, the robots contributed to producing over 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles and handled loading more than 90,000 sheet-metal parts onto welding fixtures with over 99% accuracy. Operating on full shifts by the tenth month, the F.02 units completed more than 1,250 hours of runtime, walking approximately 200 miles inside the facility. The robots’ worn and scratched appearance was highlighted by Figure AI as tangible proof of their sustained, real-world industrial operation, countering earlier skepticism about the scale and authenticity of the deployment. The trial revealed both successes and challenges. While the humanoid robots demonstrated the ability to perform repetitive, precise tasks reliably in a demanding factory environment, hardware issues emerged—particularly with the forearm components. The complexity of integrating multiple degrees of freedom, thermal management, and cabling