If you've received an Amazon (AMZN) package, you might have gotten a box much larger than the item it holds — think a giant box holding a single bottle of shampoo.

It's a problem that the tech giant is seeking to fix with the CW 1000, a robot designed to optimize package sizes. Amazon is in the process of rolling out the CW 1000, and Yahoo Finance was able to exclusively see the robot in action at a warehouse facility outside of Chicago.

"It's the first time we've automated our packing process," said Amazon director of robotic sortation technology Julie Mitchell in an August interview with Yahoo Finance.

"We've spent the last decade looking at all of the tasks passed in our building and thinking about ways that we can add automation to reduce repetitive strain injuries and improve safety and efficiency."

The robot assembly line relies on AI to identify objects from toothbrushes to action figures, then customize the box size by wrapping the cardboard around each item. While CW 1000 could help Amazon get its packages ready faster, it could also solve a long-standing customer pain point and contribute to its high-profile sustainability efforts.

In 2019, Amazon said that it planned to decarbonize the operations of its entire business by 2040, in what the company called "The Climate Pledge."

Amazon Web Services, or AWS, has also been committed. Last year, the cloud service provider announced its plans to become water positive — sending back more water than it uses — by 2030.

So, if you ever receive an Amazon package, perfectly sized to your purchase, you may very well have the CW 1000 to thank.

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Allie Garfinkle is a Senior Tech Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @agarfinks and on LinkedIn.

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