Robotic equipment traditionally requires programmers to deploy it. READY Robotics wants to change that with its code-free software designed for people in manufacturing with no programming skills.
The Columbus, Ohio, startup is the result of robotics research at Johns Hopkins University. Cal Guerin was a PhD candidate leading this research when he partnered with Benjamin Gibbs, who worked at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, to secure funding and continue the company, which Gibbs now leads as CEO.
“There was a point where we realized that we could take these types of visual languages that are very easy to understand and use them for robotics,” said Guerin, who is now the startup’s chief innovation officer.
READY’s “no-code” operating system ForgeOS is designed to allow anyone to program any type of robot hardware or automation device. ForgeOS works seamlessly with plugins for most major robot hardware and, like other operating systems like Android, allows third-party apps and plugins to run, providing a robust ecosystem of partners and developers working to enhance the robots’ capabilities, Gueren says. .
The implementation of applications in robotics allows you to add new capabilities to a robotic system with a few clicks of the mouse, improving user interaction and usability. Users can install their own programs, such as Task Canvas, which provides an intuitive programming interface similar to Scratch, a simple block-based visual language for children developed at the MIT Media Lab that influenced its development.
The Task Canvas allows users to display the actions of the robot as well as all other devices in the automation cell (such as grippers, programmable logic controllers, and machine tools) as blocks on a flowchart. The user can easily create powerful logic by linking these blocks together—without writing a single line of code. The interface offers non-programmer users the ability to program and deploy robots with drag-and-drop functionality, whether they are working directly in production with real robots on a tablet or accessing simulations from Isaac Simbased on NVIDIA Omniverse.
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Designing a robotic system in simulation for real-world deployment
READY makes it easy for non-programmers to develop robotics systems by helping to validate robots and systems for accelerated deployment.
The company develops Omniverse Extensions — a set of Omniverse applications based on Isaac Sim — and can deploy them in the cloud. It uses Omniverse Nucleus—the platform’s database and collaboration engine—also in the cloud.
Isaac Sim is an application platform that enables simulation training to test robots on virtual production lines before real-world deployment.
“Large companies are moving to a simulation-first approach to automation because these systems cost a lot of money to install. They want to model them first to make sure it’s worth the investment,” Guerin said.
The startup charges users to license its platform for software space, and offers support services to help deploy and develop systems.
This is a huge opportunity. Approximately 90 percent of factories in the world have not yet switched to automation, and this is a trillion-dollar market.
READY is a member The beginning of NVIDIAa free program that provides startups with technical training, go-to-market support, and AI platform guidance.
From industrial automation giants to Stanley Black & Decker
The startup operates in an ecosystem of the world’s leading industrial automation vendors, and these global partners are actively developing integrations with platforms such as NVIDIA Omniverse and investing in READY, Geren said.
“Right now, we’re starting to work with large enterprise customers who want to automate but can’t find the expertise to do it,” he said.
Stanley Black & Decker, a global tool supplier, relies on READY to automate machines, including CNC lathes and milling machines.
Robotic automation was difficult to deploy in their factory until Stanley Black & Decker started using READY’s ForgeOS with Station setup, which enables robots to be deployed in one day.
Creation of robotic drag-and-drop systems in modeling
According to the company, READY puts modeling capabilities in the hands of non-programmers, who can learn its Task Canvas interface for drag-and-drop programming of industrial robots in about an hour.
The company also runs the READY Academy, which offers a catalog of free training sessions for manufacturing professionals to learn how to design, deploy, operate and troubleshoot robotic automation systems.
“For potential customers interested in our technology, the opportunity to experience it with a robot modeled in Omniverse before they get the real thing is something we’re very excited about,” Guerin said.
Learn more about NVIDIA Isaac Sim, Jetson Orin, Omniverse Enterprise.