Robot deployed to paint sports fields at Oak Ridge Schools

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Oak Ridge Schools has a futuristic new tool helping save valuable time when preparing for outdoor athletics competitions.

The Turk Tank robot is a GPS-guided, line-marking machine built specifically to paint sports fields. WATE captured the android in action as it painted the lines for a soccer match between Oak Ridge High School and Knoxville’s Central High School.

While a technician must program the robot, it does the job much faster than a human could and uses less paint. Perhaps most crucially, it gives technicians more time to work on other projects.

“Timewise to do a soccer field used to take anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 hours,” said Athletics Field Technician Keenan Reynolds. “We’re down to where we can paint the field within 30 minutes. So it takes the pressure off, and that’s a plus for me. It really takes the pressure off of having everything ready for gameday.”

The turf tank isn’t just for soccer. It can be programmed to paint pretty much any athletic field. It can also paint logos and mark out parking spaces on a grass lot.

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