Have you ever received a package with an order that is tiny compared to its shipping box? Amazon (AMZN) designed the CartonWrap 1000, or the CW 1000, to tackle this problem.

Yahoo Finance’s Allie Garfinkle got a first-hand look at the Amazon fulfillment center housing the machine in Matteson, Illinois.

The CW 1000 uses AI to cut cardboard boxes that fit the dimensions of various items. Capable of building a custom box every 3.5 seconds, the CW 1000 may be the next automatic system to reduce waste in e-commerce packaging.

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To see the full NEXT episode: Inside Amazon's robot empire, click here.

To read Alexandra Garfinkle's article: Amazon built the retail of today — its robots are building the Amazon of tomorrow, click here.

Video Transcript

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ALEXANDRA GARFINKLE: Of the 750,000 robots Amazon has deployed in its fulfillment centers worldwide, the CW or Carton Wrap 1000 has perhaps the most boring but also the most important job, making boxes. Have you ever received a package that looks like this? Amazon's newest robot could one day fix this problem by learning the box size each item needs. It uses AI to measure products from action figures to toothbrushes and put them into boxes according to their size. The push to automate packing machines is part of Amazon's plan to improve speed and safety. But it will also reduce excessive waste in the packaging process. With enough CW 1000s deployed, your giant box with a tiny item inside could be a thing of the past.

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