Especially for clubs with a limited budget, Expo-Line in collaboration with TinyMobileRobots, has developed a robotic line-liner. The Pro-version is doing well with contractors and municipalities who are responsible for the fast lining of many fields on different locations. The new version should offer a solution for clubs that only need to line a few fields at one complex.

In our pursuit of sports under the best possible conditions, we have raised the bar ever higher in recent years. Due to our desire for quality and the innovations that are constantly coming onto the market, the layout of sports facilities has become precision work. This also applies to the drawing of lines. The high occupancy rate at many sports parks leaves little time to do this adequately. In many places, one is also dependent on volunteers, who are willing to get involved for many reasons, but only on the condition that it remains 'cosy'. Delivering precision work under great time pressure is then sometimes difficult.

The Sport Robot Linemarker uses sonar to determine whether the route ahead is free of obstacles. The sonar scans the trajectory 2 metres ahead. If it turns out that there is an obstacle, the robot comes to a halt and both a text message and an audio signal are sent to the tablet. So the robot comes to a stop even before it reaches the obstacle. As soon as the field manager has removed that obstacle, it will start again. Obstacles such as fixed targets are pre-programmed into the software; the robot then drives around them independently.  

The empty robot weighs only 25 kg. This makes it easy to steer and manoeuvre. The robot has thin wheels that are driven separately. Its progress is recalculated almost 200 times every second. Unevenness in the surface or other things that cause the robot to make unexpected movements do not affect the quality of the drawn line. The 200 calculations per second ensure that the robot compensates for this.' However, the presence of the field manager is still desirable, because the robot only takes the amount of paint that is necessary to draw lines on one field. 

The introduction of the Sport Robot Line Marker does not mean that volunteers are no longer needed. On the contrary: the robot cannot function without supervision. The difference is that the supervisor is now only expected to manoeuvre the robot to the various fields and make sure that the robot gets a new can of paint for each field. For the rest, it is just a matter of waiting until the work is done, or until the robot indicates that it is time to come and take a look. The upgrade from performer to manager will be a welcome recognition for every volunteer.

If you are interested in one of Expo-Lines robot line markers please contact info@expo-line.com!