West Carroll High School revolutionizes sports field prep with robot
CARROLL, Tenn. — When playing sports, hours can be spent on the field just in preparations, however, a robot shows there may be a way to maximize time on and off the field.
Whether you choose football, softball, or band as your sport of choice, preparing a field can take time that could be spent on other activities. West Carroll Junior & High School have invested in a Turk Tank robot to manage those hours in a way that benefits students and staff.
“The robot we use it to paint all our fields. (butted) It’s all GPS coordinated. So all we do is we have a tablet that goes with it that all our fields and GPS coordinates are set. And once the coordinates are set, once we load it with paint, things like that, we hit start and it paints our entire fields,” said Hunter Dixon, Health and Wellness Teacher and Head Baseball Coach.
With equipment this effective, it can be quite expensive.
“So one of our first things was how to afford it since we’re school. Sometimes it’s it’s a challenge. So the more groups we got in together, and the more they could pitch in so everyone contributes including myself to get the robot. So we’re really really happy to have it here,” said Adam Douglas, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director for West Carroll Jr. and High School.
As the deal was made, one aspect made it even sweeter.
“The contract that we signed, we get the painting robot and then a year supply of paint. So it’s really really nice that we don’t have to go buy paint, everything’s all included. So when budgeting happens and our coaches budget for their season, they know this is the amount that they have to pay to use the painting robot, -butted- so you know you’re going to have enough paint for the school year,” said Douglas.
It’s said that time is money, and the time required to paint the baseball field has been reduced from 45 minutes to less than 15 minutes, including the cleaning of the equipment.
The football field was cut over 3 hours.
The coaches aren’t the only ones excited for the time difference, students are excited too.
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