Minerva Humanoids unveils ‘Roger 1.0’ humanoid robot for explosive ordnance disposal

humanoid.guide reported on Nov. 4, 2026, that Minerva Humanoids had unveiled “Roger 1.0,” a humanoid robot for explosive ordnance disposal. In an announcement on Oct. 6, 2026, the company described Roger as a semi-autonomous robot for hazardous work, including explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous-material response. The design has an operator controlling the robot remotely, while Minerva Intelligence handles tasks such as balance and movement.

In explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous-material response, a key challenge is reducing the need for workers to enter dangerous areas. Minerva has outlined a design in which an operator makes decisions and performs fine manipulations remotely, while the robot’s AI assists with balance and movement. However, the company’s materials do not provide comparative performance data against existing machines or task completion rates.

Roger 1.0’s design focuses not on having a robot carry out explosive ordnance disposal autonomously, but on enabling an operator to make decisions and perform manual tasks remotely from outside a dangerous area. humanoid.guide also characterized it as a system used under remote supervision, rather than an autonomous, specialized bomb-disposal machine. In its Oct. 6 announcement, Minerva said its AI handles balance, recovery after a fall and navigation, while the operator receives visual information and performs fine manipulations. The core approach appears to separate movement and posture control from decision-making and dexterous handling of objects. Our Oct. 6 coverage, Minerva Humanoids raises about $10 million to develop humanoid robot Roger for hazardous work, also covered the same Roger and the company’s business in hazardous work. The Nov. 4 report can therefore be read as linking the robot the company had announced to explosive ordnance disposal under the name “Roger 1.0,” rather than as the debut of a different model. The Oct. 6 announcement also said the company built a prototype five months after development began, manufactured and assembled the initial unit in Germany, and planned production in both Germany and the United States. Manufacturing plans, as well as the control system, are part of the company’s plans. One implication for the industry is that remotely operated robots need to be assessed not only for their mobility, but also for how precisely operators can work through visual and haptic information. Minerva says conventional wheeled and single-arm robots lack the dexterity needed for complex tasks, but that is the company’s assessment, not the result of comparative tests demonstrating Roger’s superiority. The company’s claim that the robot does not require a constant cloud connection, if accurate, could also affect operational design in environments where communications are constrained. However, the actual communications requirements, response latency and range of functions available offline have not been disclosed. The next points to watch are the range of tasks Roger can complete in explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous-material response, the accuracy of the method operators use to receive haptic information, safety including recovery from falls, and progress from prototype to planned production. The five-month development timeline and production plans in Germany and the United States are based on the company’s announcements, but production volumes, uptime, component specifications and independent performance evaluations have not been disclosed. Until those details emerge, it is not possible to determine whether the robot can replace existing disposal robots.

According to Minerva, a trained operator uses a VR headset to see from the robot’s point of view and perform fine manipulations. Minerva Intelligence manages the robot’s balance, recovery after a fall and navigation, and translates the operator’s input into movement. According to comments from the CEO reported by humanoid.guide via National Defense magazine, the system operates without a constant connection to the cloud. Citing company materials, the article also described a setup in which operators can feel contact on the robot’s hands through haptic gloves. In its Oct. 6, 2026, announcement, the company said it completed a walking Roger prototype five months after development began, and that the initial Roger prototype was manufactured and assembled in Germany. It also outlined plans to produce the robot in both Germany and the United States.