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READY Robotics’ Forge/OS is a universal software system that will work with bots from hundreds of vendors. | Photo Credit: READY Robotics

READY Robotics and Futura Automation announced a new partnership today. Futura hopes to use READY Robotics’ universal operating system, Forge/OS, to better provide robot agnostic automation solutions for manufacturers.

READY Robotics’ Forge/OS will allow Futura to interchange robots from different brands to better meet the needs of its customers or to fulfill specific contract requirements. Futura is planning to fill the gap left by labor issues and production challenges with its industrial automation solutions.

“Futura Automation provides innovative solutions for tough manufacturing problems. Our team is focused on helping our customers compete in global markets and allow reshoring of production using automation tools such as robots, machine vision and artificial intelligence,” said Brian McMorris, President, Futura Automation. “READY Robotics speeds up and simplifies the development and execution of robot manufacturing systems. Our team will provide the required training and support to quickly and economically implement robotic solutions.”

Futura Automation has an extensive linecard of automation solutions, particularly robotics, material handling, automated assembly and machine vision. Futura was founded in 2017, and currently based in Scottsdale, Arizona although McMorris has decades of experience in the automation and robotics market. The company operates primarily in the Western United States.

In August 2021, Futura announced another partnership with Versabuilt Robotics. Versabuilt is a provider of automation technology, including the MultiGrip workholding system. Multigrip is meant to provide faster change-over than other automated workholding systems.

READY Robotics was founded in 2016. Its Forge/OS software simplifies robot programming, and makes automation solutions more accessible to manufacturers of different sizes and technical backgrounds.

“Complexity prevents many manufacturers from utilizing automation to alleviate production challenges. Robots need to be easier to use, but that’s not enough. That’s why we’re so excited to partner with such a respected and experienced solution provider in Futura Automation,” said Ben Gibbs, CEO and co-founder of READY Robotics. “Adding an intuitive, robot agnostic platform to their arsenal, will make automation much more accessible to the manufacturers that need it most. This partnership will also make Forge/OS-powered automation far more accessible to manufacturers in the Western US.”

In May 2021, READY Robotics launched Forge/OS 5, a program that’s compatible with over 250 robots, ranging from collaborative robots to traditional industrial robots. Gibbs hopes that Forge/OS to do for robots what Windows did for PCs and Android did for smartphones.

Juan Aparicio, VP of product at READY Robotics, was recently on The Robot Report Podcast. He discussed why ease of use has been overlooked in the robotics industry, how easy programming robots will become and other innovations that can further robotics adoption. He also shared a great story about one of the most difficult times he’s had programming a robot. You can listen to that discussion below starting at the 38:16 mark.