READY Robotics, maker of ForgeOS, is closing down

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READY Robotics, a Columbus, Ohio-based company founded in 2016, has closed. It was best known for its robot-agnostic ForgeOS operating system, but recently expanded into automation consulting and launched a palletizing system. Multiple sources said Work report round of funding fell through at the last minute, resulting in staff layoffs and the closure of the company.

Silicon Valley Disposition is auctioning off READY Robotics equipment from August 13-15. The auction includes nearly 50 robots from a variety of industry-leading companies that specialize in robotic arms, CNC machines, and more.

Silicon Valley reported that Work report The auction is conducted as an assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC). The American Bar Association describes ABC as a business liquidation tool that is “an alternative to formal bankruptcy proceedings. In many cases, ABC can be the most advantageous and elegant exit strategy.”

The former READY Robotics headquarters is available for rent.

Work report He tried contacting READY Robotics co-founders Benjamin Gibbs and Kel Guerin multiple times but never received a response.

What went wrong?

READY Robotics has set out to make it easier to program and control robots from all major brands of robotic arms. In 2021, Gibbs said the goal was for ForgeOS 5 to do for robots what Windows did for PCs and Android did for smartphones.

“That’s how we went from hundreds of thousands of robots sold to millions,” he said.

At the time, READY Robotics said ForgeOS 5 was compatible with more than 250 robot arms and a growing list of accessories like cameras, force sensors, grippers, and more.

So where did things go wrong? According to multiple sources, a big problem is that robotics manufacturers have their own operating systems, many of which have become easier to use over the years. And it’s in their best interest to be exclusive.

Bob Little, head of robotics strategy at Novanta and co-founder and CEO of ATI Industrial Automation, said the selling point of READY was that a plant could run multiple brands of robots with a single operating system. He pointed out two problems with that approach.

1. The company must buy the robot and robot controller company, which includes the software. But it must also buy the READY software and an additional computer, which involves more expense.
2. Companies like FANUC, Rockwell, and others have extensive educational systems for learning programming. There are many programmers in the industry, and instructions are readily available.

“For READY to succeed, they had to find big fish to buy their programming language, and two (mentioned above) problems got in the way of that,” Little said. “You can add the problem of working with a small company with little experience and a high risk of failure.”

Another source said: Work report earlier this year, a software update needed to be rolled out to ForgeOS, but it took “months” to get in touch with anyone at READY Robotics.

Little said there’s always a risk in working with small companies because of the high failure rate of startups. He also noted the efforts that some large industrial robotics companies, including FANUC and Rockwell Automation, have put into training on their software.

“People don’t realize the scale these companies have in terms of training – it’s huge,” he said.

Little also cited GrayMatter Robotics, which has developed an “application operating system” for grinding automation. GrayMatter uses machine vision to scan parts and software to create a motion-control plan for the job.

“I agree that we need to make it easier to program robots,” Little concluded. “I think AI/digital twin/sensor fusion is the way to go, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all robot operating system.”

Transition to palletization

READY Robotics has raised at least $41.5 million in funding, with the most recent funding coming from an undisclosed corporate investment from Rockwell Automation, according to Crunchbase. The startup closed a venture round from NVIDIA in 2022, a $23 million Series B in 2020, a $15 million Series A in 2017 and a $3.5 million Seed round in 2016.

In March 2023, READY Robotics announced that its platform enables programming and control of more than 3 million deployed robots.

Also in early 2023, READY Robotics introduced a palletizing product called READY Cells. The system was robot-agnostic, thanks to ForgeOS. Rockwell Automation signed an agreement to distribute READY Cells.

“READY started moving into building applications with the palletizing software they had recently released,” Little said. “I looked at the software and it wasn’t as effective as I thought it would be to get a lot of customers.”

One source said Work report READY Robotics had a large customer base, but also mentioned that a funding round fell through at the last minute.

READY Robotics is not alone

One source said READY Robotics filed for bankruptcy “primarily due to ongoing weakness in the robotics market in the U.S. and elsewhere.” Sales of industrial robots fell 30% in 2023 and continued to decline in early 2024.

Unfortunately, READY Robotics is not alone in its struggles. Other robotics startups that have recently closed include Bossa Nova Robotics, Dextrous Robotics, Dorabot, and Small Robot Company.

This week, Bedford, Mass.-based Soft Robotics sold its soft robot gripper business to Schmalz. Soft Robotics reportedly relied 100% on robot sales. The company has spun off a new company, Oxipital AI, that uses 3D vision and artificial intelligence for inspection tasks and will focus heavily on nonrobotics applications.