TinyMobileRobots, a company that makes autonomous line marking robots, painted its one millionth sports field this week. The company hit the landmark on a field managed by FC Dallas, a customer of TinyMobileRobots for four years. FC Dallas manages 20 soccer fields.
The robots deployed by the company are able to autonomously mark any type of sports field, from soccer to football to baseball and more. Since its founding in 2015, the company said it has saved customers 1.6 million hours of painting, $102.5 million and 1.5 million gallons of paint. It has also rapidly grown, doubling in size each year.
“Many people don’t realize just how costly and time-consuming field marking can be. Grass grows two-to-six inches per month, and any field can host multiple games a day, so fields must be constantly re-marked to remain playable,” Jens Peder Kristensen, founder and CEO of TinyMobileRobots, said. “TinyMobileRobots address these challenges and more with a simple and sustainable solution that can be deployed in minutes by anyone. Marking our one millionth field is a testament to the value our robots provide, and the impact of technology in every level of sports.”
TinyMobileRobots’ autonomous painters are accurate down to 1-2 cm. The robots come equipped with 50-plus field design configurations that can be easily altered to fit the customer’s needs. For example, it can paint a soccer field, which typically takes up to two hours manually, in 20 minutes. It can also paint a football field in two hours, down from 20 hours.
“We use the robots because they are so effective. Our fans love the robots because they are so cool. We now spend less time worrying about the fields, and more time focused on the experience for our players and fans,” Jonathan Wolf, supervisor of grounds at FC Dallas, said. “And now we get to be a part of STEM history, as we mark the one millionth field globally using this technology at our facility.”
TinyMobileRobots has explored using its battery-powered robots for industrial applications, including surveying and road pre-marking.
In February 2022, STIHL made a significant investment in the company. STIHL makes robotic lawn mowers. The company acquired a 23.8% stake in TinyMobileRobots.