Minerva Humanoids
Humanoid robots for the world's most dangerous jobs.
About Minerva Humanoids
Minerva Humanoids builds humanoid robots for the world’s most dangerous jobs. Its first robot, Roger, is a semi-autonomous humanoid designed for hazardous energy work such as offshore oil rigs and high-voltage power plants, and for public safety tasks including explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous material response.
A trained specialist operates Roger remotely through a VR headset, seeing through the robot’s eyes and performing fine manipulation, so the operator’s judgment and hands are on the task while their body stays at a safe distance.
Roger is run by Minerva Intelligence, the company’s in-house AI control layer, which manages balance, fall recovery and navigation and translates the operator’s input into action through low-latency control loops.
The company was founded by CEO Sandor Felber, who helped launch MIT CSAIL’s humanoid research line and worked on Tesla’s Optimus program, and CTO Maurice Rahme, who spent six years at Boston Dynamics as a technical lead on the Stretch robot.
Minerva is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Sindelfingen, Germany, and research partnerships with MBZUAI and the University of Waterloo.
Founders
Funding History
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Minerva Humanoids build?
Minerva Humanoids builds Roger, a semi-autonomous humanoid robot for hazardous energy operations and public safety work such as explosive ordnance disposal. A trained specialist operates Roger remotely through a VR headset, so the robot takes the physical risk instead of the person.
Who founded Minerva Humanoids?
Minerva Humanoids was founded by CEO Sandor Felber and CTO Maurice Rahme. Felber worked on humanoid research at MIT CSAIL and on Tesla's Optimus program, while Rahme spent six years at Boston Dynamics as a technical lead on the Stretch robot.
How much funding has Minerva Humanoids raised?
Minerva Humanoids raised approximately $10 million in pre-seed funding led by General Catalyst, with Long Journey Ventures and Credo Ventures as co-leads. The company emerged from stealth in October 2026.
How is Roger different from other bomb disposal robots?
Traditional explosive ordnance disposal robots are wheeled, single-arm machines that lack dexterity, so operators often have to approach a device in person. Roger is a two-handed humanoid with full-body control, letting specialists complete complex tasks remotely with their judgment in command of every critical action.
