READY Robotics launches the READY Academy, an online educational platform where any manufacturing professional can rapidly learn how to design, deploy, manage and scale automation.
By enabling anyone to program and deploy automation, READY Academy helps to solve both the skilled labor shortage and the knowledge gap that have prevented broader adoption of robotic automation.
Paired with Forge/OS, READY’s cross-brand robot programming platform, READY Academy enables all manufacturers to deploy automation.
READY Academy launches with over 40 hours of educational videos with curriculum developed by robotics PhDs Kel Guerin and Jake Huckaby.
Building on over four years of READY’s experience enabling manufacturers to deploy automation on their own, READY Academy curriculum covers the full spectrum of automation, including: project assessment, end-of-arm tooling, parts presentation, robot safety, no code robot programming, building machine tending tasks, and more.
The coursework was recently vetted at a Haas Technical Education Center (eKAMI) where 15 former coal miners were taught to design and deploy lights out robotic automation in just 2.5 weeks.
To ensure manufacturers everywhere can take advantage of this content, READY has partnered with MFG Works to make the full suite of READY Academy courses available to the MFG Works community.
MFG Works is a global online community for manufacturers to connect with each other, learn new skills, and find exciting career opportunities. L
aunched in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, MFG Works addresses the lack of open access to the materials necessary to upskill workers in advanced manufacturing skills.
“We’re very excited to offer READY Academy’s courses to our community,” says Saul Lustgarten, who heads up the MFG Works initiative.
“The automation courses that READY has produced are exactly what the industry needs.” READY Robotics and MFG Works will host a live virtual Q&A at 1pm Thursday, October 29 to answer questions about READY Academy and the future of education in manufacturing.
By enabling anyone to learn the skills needed to design and deploy automation, READY Academy directly addresses the skilled labor shortage affecting manufacturing. No longer must manufacturers rely on a limited pool of workers only trained in robotics.
With READY Academy and Forge/OS, they can now upskill their existing workforce to program robots and deploy automation.
Kel Guerin, Co-Founder and CTO of READY notes, “The skilled labor shortage limiting manufacturing productivity is expected to grow to 2.4M unfilled advanced manufacturing jobs by 2028, and the current educational system does not teach the advanced manufacturing skills needed.
That is why we’re so proud to develop READY Academy and make it available for all individuals interested in upskilling or reskilling.”
Key to the rapid learning enabled by READY Academy is the use of Forge/OS and Task Canvas for robot programming.
In the same time it typically takes to learn how to program simple movements in a robot’s native programming language, READY Academy and Forge/OS enable students to achieve lights-out automation.
This is accomplished through Task Canvas’s ultra-intuitive programming interface. By condensing robot programming into a matter of days, more attention can be given to all the other equally critical components of automation.
“The future of US manufacturing requires that we democratize automation, not only with easy-to-use technology like Forge/OS, but also by empowering workers to learn the skills needed to design and deploy automation,” says Guerin.
