Lazio Mechatronics applies innovation to sports fields

It is not true that mechatronics is a 'subject' only for male students. And above all, it is not true that, once you have acquired these technical skills (but not only), you have to wear an oil-stained 'blue suit' all your life (they practically no longer exist today) and only work in the mechanical industry. Debunking these prejudices, which are unfortunately still widespread among parents, young people and often even teachers, is a rather original initiative implemented by the students of the Its Mechatronic Lazio Academy.

One project in particular, conducted by four boys and a girl, demonstrated how mechatronics is fundamental in various industrial sectors, considered by the same peers to be 'much more popular', such as sport (but the same applies to fashion, chemical-pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and so on). "We started by carrying out inspections in three sports facilities in the Lazio region, the 'Benito Stirpe' football stadium in Frosinone, the Foro Italico tennis stadium in Rome, and the Fiuggi golf club, which has just been renovated,' Mimma Barbati, director of the Its Meccatronico del Lazio Academy, tells us. 'This group of students identified a common need in all three facilities, namely the maintenance of the grass on the playing fields in order to create an automated grass cutter that would be useful for optimising sports activities.

Going into a little more detail, three different processes were integrated into one system, irrigation, grass cutting, and the eventual covering of the playing field. They used a programmable logic controller (PLC) that manages and analyses data from sensors installed in different areas of the field in order to proceed with maintenance. In addition to the integration of three processes in one, the innovative elements of the initiative were also the reduction of time and costs and the scalability and replicability in any other sports facility or in specific locations in the city (playgrounds, outdoor green spaces, etc.).

The 'mechatronics engineer' is a relatively new professional figure who is responsible for designing and building systems capable of automating a production chain. His activity is based on the integration of three different disciplines: mechanics, electronics and computer science. Today, these profiles are literally flying off the shelves. As demonstrated by the numbers of the Its Mechatronic Lazio Academy: operational since 2019, on the intuition and drive of local entrepreneur Maurizio Stirpe, it has graduated 112 young people, recording a 100% employment rate. The Foundation, whose presidency is now held by Miriam Diurni, has reached 98 members. Of these as many as 69 are companies, which has doubled since 2022.

Moreover, sportech is a growing market. The digitisation of services as well as the use of Ia-based systems and applications open up new horizons also in sport. And there is therefore a need for appropriate skills. "This is why we need to push for a blanket orientation and to dispel commonplaces and prejudices," explained the president of the Its Foundation Miriam Diurni. At the end of October, in addition to Frosinone and Latina, where the Its course of study covers advanced mechatronics design and production, a new class was added in Rome, at the headquarters of Unindustria, a founding partner of the Its, where higher technicians for automation and industrial robotics will be trained. In all, there are 116 students at the Lazio Mechatronics Academy, of whom 12 are women.