{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/minerva-unveils-vr-controlled-humanoid-roger-for-bomb-disposal-with-10","json":"https://digestai.news/story/minerva-unveils-vr-controlled-humanoid-roger-for-bomb-disposal-with-10.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/minerva-unveils-vr-controlled-humanoid-roger-for-bomb-disposal-with-10.md","slug":"minerva-unveils-vr-controlled-humanoid-roger-for-bomb-disposal-with-10","headline":"Minerva unveils VR-controlled humanoid Roger for bomb disposal with $10M funding","summary":"Minerva Humanoids, a San Francisco-based startup, emerged from stealth this week with **Roger**, a VR-piloted humanoid designed for bomb disposal, hazardous material response, and offshore rig work. The robot allows human specialists to operate remotely from a safe distance, handling tasks requiring two-handed dexterity that currently require in-person risk exposure. Minerva secured approximately **$10 million** in pre-seed funding, led by **General Catalyst** and **Hugging Face**, with prototypes built in Germany and software developed in the U.S. The company claims it developed Roger’s walking prototype in just **five months**, leveraging in-house AI for balance, navigation, and fall recovery while the operator controls fine manipulation via VR headset.\n\nCEO **Sandor Felber**, formerly of **Tesla’s Optimus** and MIT’s humanoid research, and CTO **Maurice Rahme**, a former **Boston Dynamics** tech lead, lead the effort. Paid pilots in energy and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) are set to begin this fall after a demo at NATO’s EOD Centre of Excellence in Slovakia. Minerva argues that traditional bomb-disposal robots—often tracked vehicles with single arms—lack the dexterity to handle complex tasks safely from a distance.","keyPoints":["Minerva Humanoids raised ~$10M pre-seed funding from General Catalyst and Hugging Face for its VR-controlled humanoid Roger","Roger uses VR for remote operation, with AI managing balance, navigation, and fall recovery for bomb disposal and rig work","Paid pilots in energy and EOD sectors begin this fall after a NATO demo in Slovakia"],"whyItMatters":"Roger could reduce human exposure to hazardous environments by enabling remote control of delicate tasks like bomb disposal, addressing gaps in current robotic solutions.","category":{"slug":"robotics","name":"Robotics & Physical AI","url":"https://digestai.news/category/robotics"},"entities":{"companies":["Minerva Humanoids","General Catalyst","Hugging Face","Tesla","MIT","Boston Dynamics"],"models":[],"people":["Sandor Felber","Maurice Rahme","Fu Xianghong"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-08T14:30:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-08T14:30:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"The Rundown AI","title":"Meet Roger, the bomb-squad humanoid","url":"https://therundown.ai/articles/meet-roger-the-bomb-squad-humanoid","publishedAt":"2026-10-08T14:30:00Z","type":"newsletter","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Minerva unveils VR-controlled humanoid Roger for bomb disposal with $10M funding\", 8 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/minerva-unveils-vr-controlled-humanoid-roger-for-bomb-disposal-with-10","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Minerva unveils VR-controlled humanoid Roger for bomb disposal with $10M funding","datePublished":"2026-10-08T14:30:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/minerva-unveils-vr-controlled-humanoid-roger-for-bomb-disposal-with-10"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}