Workers painting lines on resurfaced roads need to wait 40 minutes for the paint to dry before moving on. If they lift the stencils too soon, the paint will smear. RoadPrintz Founder Sam Bell knew there had to be an easier way.

So he decided to develop a special truck equipped with a robotic arm that won’t be scalded by using hot paint that dries in less than a minute. Instead of stencils, it uses GPS measurements guided by a computer.

It typically costs $15,000 per mile for crews to paint road markings. Bell estimates his system can do the same work for only $5,000 per mile, possibly less.

RoadPrintz was an Innovation Fund Northeast Ohio recipient in the 43rd cycle. The startup received the A Award, earning them a total of $25,000. This award allowed them to develop their software and build a robotic connection.

Bell hopes to increase the safety of all road users by making effective visual street markings more affordable and accessible.