ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Robotics technology has made its way onto athletic fields, offering schools and sports programs a new way to streamline game-day preparation. At Bradshaw Christian High School, that shift has already been underway. 

The school has joined others in the Sacramento region in adopting technology from Turf Tank, a Denmark-based company that offers an autonomous robot designed to paint lines, logos, numbers and hash marks on athletic fields.

The GPS-guided system is designed to reduce the time and labor required to prepare fields for sports such as soccer, football, baseball, softball and lacrosse. 

About the size of a large microwave oven, the robot is operated by a tablet and can complete tasks that traditionally require multiple staff members and hours of preparation. Company representatives said a single robot can paint a full soccer field in about 23 minutes and complete a football field in roughly three hours.

For Bradshaw Christian, assistant athletic director and football coach Virgil Yuhre said the technology has made a significant impact, particularly at the only Elk Grove school that still plays on a natural grass football field.

“Being able to set up and paint a natural grass field in a reasonable amount of time probably saves us from going to turf,” Yuhre said. “And in that same breath, it probably saves us from injuries that come with playing on turf. So, I like to think this technology is saving our athletes from getting injured.”

The school has used the system for nearly four years, starting in October 2022 after connecting with Turf Tank to get help painting its baseball, soccer and football fields.

Previously, Yuhre said, the school hired outside help to manually paint its fields due to limited options for maintaining natural grass. However, as costs increased, the school determined that using the robot would be a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

“Now when we need to paint, we fire up the robot and go do it,” Yuhre said. “There’s no scheduling with an outside company; no schedule conflicts.”

“The flexibility we have now is so much better than relying on someone else… Going through that stress of wondering if he’s going to get it done in time was crazy,” he added.

Turf Tank Chief Marketing Officer Simon Christensen said those challenges were common across the industry and revealed a gap in the market that helped to drive the company’s development.

 

“We saw how many hours field managers were spending lining and painting fields by hand and thought there has to be a better way to do this,” Christensen said.

Since introducing its first robots to the market in 2017, the company has sold about 6,000 units used across elementary, middle and high schools, local parks and recreation departments, as well as major colleges and universities and a number of NFL and Major League Soccer teams and stadiums.

Christensen said the robots are powered by rechargeable batteries and use about 50% less paint than traditional sprayers, highlighting their environmentally friendly design.

He added that Turf Tank also offers a subscription model that makes the technology accessible to organizations of all sizes without requiring significant upfront costs.

“Turf Tank is an efficiency tool for anyone who maintains athletic fields that normally get neglected due to too many tasks, too little time and too few hands,” Christensen emphasized.

He also noted that the technology can reduce the strain of working outdoors in extreme heat, a common challenge for field managers in Sacramento and Elk Grove where temperatures reach triple digits during the summer.

Currently, the company said it has more than 20 customers in the greater Sacramento area including the Sacramento County Parks and Recreation Department, the Natomas and Twin River School Districts, University of the Pacific, Sacramento State and the Sacramento United Soccer Club.

In town, Pleasant Grove High School also has its own Turf Tank robot that helps paint its fields.

While automation can raise concerns in some industries, Yuhre said the athletic department has seen an overwhelmingly positive response on campus, with coaches and other programs embracing the technology and finding new ways to use the Turf Tank.

 “This saves us time and our piece of mind,” Yuhre said. “School community loves it too. We have our Jr. Pride youth football organization that gets to use it as well so they’re thankful for the time it cuts out for them. All in all, Turf Tank has been awesome for our school.”

To learn more about Turf Tank, visit turftank.com.