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TROY — The city of Troy is purchasing a Tiny Mobile Robot — a device for line-painting athletic fields and restriping parking lots.
The City Council unanimously approved the purchase at its meeting Sept. 29. The specific model is the Tiny Line Marker Pro X, made by TinyMobileRobots US, based in Kennesaw, Ga.
The cost is nearly $37,900 and includes the device, accessories, an annual subscription and an extended five-year warranty.
In a typical 36-week season, the Troy Department of Public Works maintains 39 athletic fields across the city, which includes 14 baseball/softball fields, 23 soccer fields and two practice football fields. Each field requires weekly line painting and setup to ensure safety and compliance with league standards.
If done manually, the work can be labor intensive, especially at the start of a new season when fields must be remeasured. Rainouts and heavy play can wear down fields faster, which may require restriping more often.
The DPS also handles temporary striping of parking areas to support community events. With the Tiny Mobile Robot, both tasks can be handled more easily.
“This Tiny Mobile Robot is a three-wheeled device that works off a GPS satellite to lay out and paint fields,” explained Dennis Trantham, the DPS deputy director. “Typically, it takes our team of two men about two hours per field to wet layout. This (robot) can lay out a field in about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the field.”
The Tiny Mobile Robot is highly portable. It requires no base stations and operates through subscription access to local wireless towers. It can operate in various field conditions and is compatible with any brand of athletic field paint. The robot also provides real-time analytics that allow technicians to resolve most issues remotely.
City Councilmember Hirak Chanda said this model compares favorably to others.
“I think this (robot) is smaller and easier to handle,” Chanda said.
For more information, visit troymi.gov.
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