Minerva unveils Roger 1.0 humanoid for ordnance disposal

California-based Minerva Humanoids has debuted Roger 1.0, a semi autonomous humanoid designed for explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous materials response, according to National Defense magazine. The company positions the robot as a remotely supervised system for dangerous environments, rather than an autonomous bomb disposal specialist. According to a company fact sheet cited by the magazine, a trained operator uses a virtual reality headset and haptic gloves to see through the robot’s eyes and feel what its hands touch.

The Roger 1.0 humanoid uses Minerva Intelligence, an in-house AI system that can operate without a live cloud connection, co-founder and CEO Sandor Felber told the magazine. Felber described the system as handling the robot’s awareness of its body and surroundings, supporting navigation and movement while taking input from the operator. His argument for the humanoid format centers on human control: matching the operator’s limbs and fingers should make manipulation more intuitive, he said. That is a rationale for the design, not a demonstrated comparison with existing ordnance disposal robots.

Originally designed to support NATO operations, according to the company fact sheet, Roger is intended for missions involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, as well as emergency response and first aid. Its planned industrial trials are more immediate: National Defense reported that Minerva plans oil and gas pilot projects this fall, with operational deployments scheduled to begin in 2027.

Source: nationaldefensemagazine.org