A small white three-wheeled robot has been rolling across the rugby pitch in Cugnaux, near Toulouse, for several days. Fitted with sensors, it does not mow the grass or mark the lines. Its job is to measure soil moisture so the town can work out how much water the pitch actually needs and adjust irrigation accordingly.
Cugnaux is taking part in a trial run by BotsWeLove, a start-up based in Marseille that won funding through an Ademe call for projects under the France 2030 programme. During July and August, the robot takes between 100 and 300 moisture readings a day to build a clearer picture of the pitch's water needs.
Aurélien Andreu-Seigné, the mayor of Cugnaux, said the town was the first local authority in the Toulouse area to test the device, and that it would next be trialled at the Stadium de Toulouse.
Matching watering to real need
The mayor said the trial came as water restrictions grow more frequent each summer. He said that every prefectural order brings new restrictions on watering sports pitches, but that failing to maintain the rugby pitch over the summer risks leaving it unusable when the season resumes.
Using data collected several times a day, the robot can identify which areas of the pitch genuinely need watering. Andreu-Seigné said it could eventually be set up to factor in prefectural restrictions and automatically adjust the amount of water used.
Potential savings of up to 30,000 cubic metres
For now, the robot remains in a testing phase, with BotsWeLove aiming to assess its effectiveness before any wider sale to local authorities. If the results are positive, Cugnaux could extend the trial until March before deciding whether to buy the robot outright, a purchase the town estimates would cost around 30,000 euros before tax, paid off over six years.
According to the town's estimates, such equipment could save up to 30,000 cubic metres of water a year, worth around 6,000 euros at current water prices.
