How long does it take to paint white lines on a competition-grade football pitch? In the traditional way, it generally takes five workers pushing the line-marking machines manually a full day. But with the help of a marking robot a single operator can complete the work in 40 minutes with a positioning precision of ±4 millimeters.

The marking robot, independently developed by Changsha-based GooGol Robot, is an intelligent construction equipment automating the task of marking construction layouts.

Its core technical challenge lies in "dynamic movement" and "high precision." According to Liu Zijing, founder of the company, marking lines in a fixed position is not difficult. The real challenge is drawing straight, even lines with minimal error while moving at high speed. It is like drawing a perfectly straight line on a wall with a pen without any deviation while running fast, Liu said.

With the marking robot, its operators need to only import CAD construction drawings via tablet PC, and the robot can automatically analyze the files and plan the marking path.

The robot uses a laser tracking and positioning system different from conventional satellite positioning and avoids the errors caused by satellite signal drift. It can achieve high-precision marking within a 60-meter operating radius of ±2mm, far outperforming manual operation in stability.

Compared with manual marking, the lines sprayed by the robot have highly consistent width, and are uniformly straight and round. In addition, robotic operation greatly shortens venue downtown and improves site utilization.

Previously, the robot was mainly used for marking tasks in electromechanical installation, decoration installation, and main structure. It was used in on-site construction like the Shanghai Grand Opera House project.

By meeting International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) standards, the robot has expanded its application scenarios and has been deployed for major events including the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Asian Qualifiers (Hangzhou leg) and Singapore Premier League. GooGol is now preparing to present the marking robot at the 2030 FIFA World Cup.