Turf Tank robot ‘paints’ the way for national tournament to come to Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Precision is the theme of the prep work getting done at the Lincoln Sports Foundation Complex for a national archery tournament in June.

And ‘Ready, Set, Paint’ are the simple commands that the newest crew member is following to get the job done.

Turf Tank is the name of a robot, out of Omaha.

It is a GPS-driven robot that can paint the lines of 20 fields within a day and a half.

A task that usually takes weeks and countless man-hours.

“The only man labor that’s involved is the person running the robot and the tablet and software,” said Sam Lesoing, Director of Facilities at Lincoln Sports Foundation. “By having the turf tank, it’s allowed us flexibility to do other jobs around the campus.”

It’s saving the sports complex money, too.

Despite the robot costing $ 17,000 a year, Lesoing says it is saving the center twice that in labor costs, adding that workers can also be unreliable.

“At the end of the day, there’s always going to be turnover, so to have that consistency, it’s been huge for us.”

Some compare directing the robot to walking a dog.

The software allows you to select a specific sport, such as rugby or soccer, and choose the layout you want.

Lesoing says the combinations of lines are endless.

It can even paint logos.

With that type of innovation, Turf Tank has put a spotlight on the center.

Allowing the 100+ acre facility to host high-profile events, such as the US National Archery Championship.

A partnership built from Visit Lincoln, its Sports Director, Derek Bombeck, tells Channel 8 that the opportunity opens doors for the city.

“Anytime you get a national governing body to bring a national championship to Lincoln, it’s a huge deal,” said Bombeck. “It’s going to open up the doors for potential Olympic trials and other things like that for US Archery as well.”

He anticipates about 1,000 top archery competitors between the ages of 8 and 18 from across the country and about 3,000 spectators.

“Lincoln always shows out. People might be reluctant to come, but they’re the first ones that want to come back once they see everything that our city and county have to offer,” said Bombeck.

The tournament will take place from June 22 through June 26.

Lincoln will also host the tournament again next year, opening doors to many more National partnerships.