Robot pitch marker employed in Chester helping to save time, money and the environment

A neighbouring council says it is saving time, money and the environment, thanks to a robot helper.

Cheshire West and Chester Council teams are now able to use a robot pitch marker on the borough’s football pitches.

The dimensions of each of the borough football pitches are now stored on a tablet which links to the robot to give it instructions.

The robot usually starts at a corner and once the operator hits start on the screen, off it goes to complete the entire pitch, including penalty spots.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: “The new robot can mark out a pitch in just 20 minutes, sometimes less, compared to 90 minutes plus when done manually.

“We’re also reducing our carbon footprint by using less paint, wasting less water and in terms of transport/fuel requirements because less staff and equipment are needed to mark out pitches.

“The time saving also means our StreetCare staff can be free to carry out other tasks across the borough.”

Another key benefit of the machine will be when new pitches have to be marked out.

Usually, to carry out traditional initial marking, two people are needed to arrange and measure numerous lines and pins, taking many hours. The new robot uses GPS to mark a pitch out from scratch in 20 minutes.

Cllr Shore added: “I’ve been told the robot’s name is Adam. The name had been created on the robot’s operational tablet when we took delivery of ‘him’. Many thanks to ‘Adam’ and our StreetCare teams for making a difference in our communities.”

The use of the robot also means the Council will stop using herbicide to ‘burn in’ pitch lines.