TECHNOLOGY
Photo courtesy of Turf Tank
out stencils . Early in the season , when the bermudagrass is growing extremely fast , we ’ re painting the fields twice a week ,” said Pritchard . “ Now , myself or one of my employees can come down here and these two practice football fields can be painted in six hours . Done completely . Perfectly straight lines .”
While the robot takes care of the fields , the rest of the crew is free to focus their attention on other tasks around the site and ensure the facility reaches the desired standard .
The Turf Tank One autonomous line-marking robot is controlled with the help of a tablet , and the company recently launched next-generation line-marking software that enhances the robot ’ s usability and efficiency .
The updated software provides sports field managers with greater flexibility and complete control over every aspect of the line-marking process . The Turf Tank robot is also capable of creating texts and logos so sports organizations can enhance their fields . Previously , only large colleges and professional teams could afford this feature , but now small sports clubs and high schools can provide their fans with an exceptional sports experience . According to Turf Tank , robots not only reduce the time and physical effort spent marking fields , but are now a tool for attracting and retaining employes . As a result , this leads to more sustainable jobs in the sports field management industry .
The adoption and acceptance of robotic field painters by sports field managers also seems to have had a positive impact on the acceptance of robotics and autonomous technologies in general . Husqvarna has high-profile clients for its CEORA robotic mowers with the Louisville Bats ( Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds ) as well as historic Fenway Park .
“ As an industry , we ’ re still early in the adoption process to have clear trends emerging with the technology ,” said Connor . “ But momentum and interest are building at a rapid rate . The adoption of line painters
has absolutely helped create additional early adopters for robotic mowers . If we visit a company using robotic line painters , we know they ’ ve Photo courtesy of Stihl already got a robotics mentality . They understand how robots work and interact on their properties , so it ’ s less of a leap for them to envision robotic mowers on their properties too .”
According to Brian Manke , product manager at Stihl product , developer of iMow , robotic mowers generate significantly less dust than a traditional mower , return nutrients and moisture back to the soil for healthier turfgrass , and are beneficial for air quality and those with allergies .
“ Grass will be greener and healthier due to regular mowing ,” he added .
Overall , manufacturers are seeing higher adoption on the part of sports field managers as awareness spreads regarding the benefits of using robotics .
“ I think the main thing is to get out there and be known in the industry ,” said Carl . “ A lot of times when we pitch our products , they didn ’ t know such a thing existed . So , we ’ re getting awareness and it works out for parks and schools that just have a tough time finding labor to do the work on their fields . We ’ re not saying that we ’ ll be replacing labor , but we can help in that a field manager can program the robot to paint the field and still get other things done .”
Added Connor , “ Interest in robotics is accelerating , and more conversations around how to adopt these tools are taking place .” SFM
Robert Augsdorfer is assistant editor of SportsField Management magazine .
For additional content about technological advancements that are impacting the sports field management industry – including technology for data collection – check out the latest installment of the SportsField Management Podcast , in which we speak with Dr . Chase Straw of Texas A & M University ( https :// sportsfieldmanagementonline . com / podcast /). sportsfieldmanagementonline . com April 2023 | SportsField Management
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