TECHNOLOGY UPDATE/STRIPING |
CHARLES RATHMANN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Can Robots Simplify Parking Lot Striping? Pre-marking can be a tedious and timeconsuming task, but technology is advancing to help striping contractors get more work done, faster
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s contractors prepare for work on the more than 173,000 miles of United States roads that are in poor repair and as private work from parking lot construction and maintenance holds firm even as labor is in short supply, technology capable of streamlining pavement striping and marking will become even more attractive.
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Striping of roadways requires not just the high-temperature application of thermoplastic, but a pre-lining process commonly completed by a surveying team charged with identifying the exact position of lane markers, generally using a total station. Automated solutions are coming to market, including the TiyMobileRobot product line for roadways and parking lot pre-lining and turf line marking. These automation tools use either cell connectivity or an on-board GNSS device to orient the robot geographically as it sprays a paint line that delineates the precise position for permanent marking. The TinySurveyor and TinyPreMarker robots integrate with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers from major
manufacturers including Topcon, Trimble and Leica. The TinySurveyor, unlike the TinyPremarker is not sold with its own GNSS receiver, and integrates with external total stations for positioning data including height measurements. A prism mounted beneath the TinySurveyor’s GNSS antennae enables accuracy tolerances of less than one inch. The robots mark points with a standard aerosol can, making fast work of road center lines or layout of sites like solar parks. Using two points for a line or three points for an arc, the robots have application premarking lines on roadways and survey site staking. The robots are only one component in an overall solution that also includes a tablet and cloud application that
PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE & RECONSTRUCTION | May 2022 | www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
