Minerva Launches Roger Humanoid for Hazardous Work

Recap

Source: Humanoids Daily, report of Oct. 6, 2026

According to the report, Minerva Humanoids has officially launched with approximately $10 million in pre-seed funding. The company is developing a humanoid robot named Roger, intended to allow specialists to perform dangerous tasks from a safe distance. General Catalyst led the funding round, with Long Journey Ventures and Cedo Ventures participating as co-leads.

The startup is targeting specific high-risk industries, including oil and gas operations and public safety roles such as explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous material response. The core approach involves a remote human operator who uses a VR headset to see through the robot's cameras and direct its manipulation. Meanwhile, the robot's onboard AI, referred to as Minerva Intelligence, is responsible for low-level tasks like balancing, walking safely, and recovering from falls.

Co-founder and CEO Sandor Felber explained that the high-level intelligence remains with the human operator, while the robot handles the physical execution of movements. He noted that if the communication link is severed, Roger can adopt a safe pose, though an autonomous return-to-base capability is still under development. Felber acknowledged that the robot will be expensive due to the priority placed on secure communication equipment and antennas over cost reduction. The company stated that it progressed from a clean-sheet design in March 2026 to a walking prototype in August 2026, with manufacturing taking place in Sindelfingen, Germany, and software development in the US.

Context

Minerva's founders bring significant experience from major robotics programs. Felber previously worked on Tesla's Optimus program and at MIT CSAIL, while CTO Maurice Rahme spent six years at Boston Dynamics, including as a technical lead on the Stretch robot. This background positions the company within the broader trend of humanoid robots moving from general-purpose research toward specialized industrial applications. The focus on hazardous work aligns with a growing interest in using robotics to remove humans from environments with immediate physical risks, such as chemical spills or unstable structures.

The company's strategy of prioritizing safety and secure teleoperation over low cost reflects the specific needs of its target markets. In sectors like oil and gas, the ability to interact with existing human-designed infrastructure, such as valves and levers, is a key advantage of a humanoid form factor over other robotic platforms. The partnership with MBZUAI and the University of Waterloo for perception in challenging conditions further underscores the technical challenges of operating in unstructured, hazardous environments.

Robot's take

Minerva's approach highlights a pragmatic shift in humanoid robotics, focusing on high-value, high-risk niches where the cost of failure is unacceptable. By keeping the human in the loop for critical decisions, the company addresses a major trust barrier in safety-critical applications. However, the reliance on a stable communication link remains a potential vulnerability, especially in remote or obstructed environments. The next critical step will be demonstrating that the prototype can reliably perform complex tasks in real-world hazardous settings, moving beyond controlled testing environments. The success of the planned pilots in fall 2026 will be a key indicator of whether this specialized approach can translate into a viable commercial product.