TOLEDO, Ohio — The painting prowess of the "Turf Tank" is starting to catch on in northwest Ohio.
Quick results and easy-to-use technology are proving a game-changing experience when it comes to athletic field preparation.
"The ease, as long as you got a little bit of computer savvy you can do it," said Scott Alexander, head of grounds for the Otsego Local School District. "I mean if I can do it, anybody can do it."
Alexander inherited the piece of equipment and is entering his second year with it. He says what would typically have taken 8-10 hours to complete a full football field now takes 3-4 hours thanks to the machine.
Alleviating time and resources has proven to benefit Perrysburg Soccer Club as well. Ron White, the organization's field manager, just acquired his line-making robot within the past year.
"As the word gets out about this, they'll definitely want it. I definitely recommend," White said. "As a matter of fact, we get people in the background who watch the machine go. People who work the field and coach can't believe it, they're like 'it's awesome.'"
According to the manufacturer, the machine is the world's first-ever automatic GPS-guided robot to paint athletic fields. It's controlled through a tablet, guided by a signal tower and can paint any outdoor sports landscape, including parking lots.
The Turf Tank is the size of a large microwave and is powered by rechargeable batteries. More than 3,000 of the machines are being used across the U.S. in schools, parks and recreation departments and conferences like the Big Ten and SEC.
Maumee Valley Country Day School is also among the local clients who have bought into this product, which can be purchased as low as $500 per month. Both Alexander and White told WTOL 11 that the main responsibility for them is refilling the paint and watching it go to work.