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An Industrial Robot That Ties Ribbons Into Bows

Ohio-based candy company Esther Price sells boxes of chocolates with a red ribbon tied around them. Those ribbons have traditionally been tied by “long-tenured seasonal workers” who can do three to four boxes a minute, according to Packaging World. That’s an acceptable pace, but performing the repetitive task all day long can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, according to the company.

To solve their problem, they contacted Ohio-based engineering consultancy aXatronics. The eggheads there came up with this rather incredible solution:

The robot can tie two boxes per minute. “While this is slightly slower than the workers’ rate of production, the bow-tying system runs for 12 to 14 hours per day and has eliminated the risk of workers injuring themselves,” according to the article. Not mentioned is whether those workers are still employed.