Field will manage product, engineering, and operations alongside Scaringe at Mind Robotics. The company has secured over $1 billion in funding in less than a year. Field's extensive background includes leadership roles in engineering at Tesla, Apple's special projects group, and Ford's EV operations.
Mind Robotics, which emerged from Rivian's Q3 2025 earnings report, has rapidly accumulated significant funding. This includes a $115 million seed round, a $500 million Series A, and a $400 million round that valued the company at $3.4 billion. The startup is developing foundational models and specialized robot hardware for manufacturing.
Rivian is a key shareholder and the initial customer for Mind Robotics, providing access to a high-volume automotive plant for data collection and robot deployment. This arrangement offers Mind a practical environment for testing and refining its technology, contrasting with the more public-facing development of competitors like Tesla's Optimus program.
Field's appointment signals a significant commitment to industrial automation by Mind Robotics. His expertise in scaling hardware production is seen as crucial for deploying reliable robots in real-world factory settings. This move positions Mind Robotics to address the challenges of industrial robotics development.