Rivian has created its second spinoff firm this yr: an industrial AI and robotics enterprise referred to as Thoughts Robotics.

The brand new effort might be centered round utilizing “industrial AI to reshape how bodily world companies function and leverage Rivian operations information as the muse for a robotics information flywheel,” in response to a the corporate’s third-quarter shareholder letter revealed Tuesday. (That’s a mouthful of buzzwords; we’ve requested Rivian to make clear issues a bit extra and can replace the publish if it does.)

Rivian mentioned Tuesday it has secured round $110 million in “exterior seed capital,” however didn’t instantly supply every other details about Thoughts Robotics. “We imagine AI-enabled robotics can help a variety of business purposes,” Rivian wrote within the letter.

The launch of Thoughts Robotics marks the second time this yr that Rivian has created a brand new standalone firm. In March, the firm spun out its skunkworks micromobility division right into a startup referred to as Additionally Inc. That new firm was funded partially by cash from Eclipse, with further funding from Greenoaks Capital.

A trademark utility for Thoughts Robotics was submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Workplace on Monday that lists Eclipse accomplice Jiten Behl as a signatory for the newly-created firm, together with Eclipse’s Palo Alto headquarters as the company handle. Behl didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

It’s unclear if Rivian workers are shifting over to Thoughts Robotics, like was the case with Additionally. A Rivian spokesperson declined to say. However the firm hinted on the chance in Tuesday’s letter.

“With our sturdy bench of expertise expertise and an innovation-driven tradition, we’ve been capable of establish further areas of worth to speed up our mission on a wider scale whereas sustaining Rivian’s focus,” Scaringe wrote

Robotics and industrial AI are scorching areas for funding proper now. There’s a slew of humanoid robotics corporations elevating cash and attempting to ship merchandise, together with Tesla. Normal Motors is working by itself robotics and AI division, too.

Past Rivian’s announcement Tuesday, although, little or no is understood about what Thoughts Robotics will stand up to. There may be basically no digital footprint for the corporate but, save for the trademark utility. That utility could be very broadly focused and says Thoughts Robotics might use the trademark for all the pieces from equipment, to autos, to “incubators for eggs.”