A robotic arm works at the workshop of Jiangsu Huayi Group. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

Nantong-based Jiangsu Huayi Group has successfully developed an smart AI dyeing sampling robot system, marking China's first intelligent dyeing production line and taking a solid step forward in empowering traditional tie-dyeing with technology.

Entering Huayi's traditional tie-dye smart AI dyeing workshop, tie-dye workers use robotic arms for dyeing based on manual teaching samples. The instructions are transmitted to the AI robot dyeing system through an internal system, which then dyes the finished garments with hand-tied cloth in designated areas.

In just a few minutes, 10 garments are completed, and then the robotic arms automatically position, grip, lift, rotate, and move them to specified locations, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the entire dyeing production process.

A worker monitors the smart AI dyeing sampling robot system at the workshop of Jiangsu Huayi Group. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

"The output of smart AI robots per unit time is more than five times that of manual labor," said Qian Lixia, general manager of the Tie-Dyeing Business Department at Huayi.

She explained that this smart AI dyeing sampling robot system improved production quality and efficiency, especially around the Chinese New Year. "The end of the year is the peak sales season, and we usually have to hire many temporary workers. However, this year, with the support of this robot system, the number of workers has been greatly reduced to less than half of previous years," she added.

In industrializing intangible cultural heritage, how can one uphold tradition while innovating and embark on high-quality development with distinctive features?

Qian said that they have retained the manual methods of tying cloth in the early stages throughout the production process. Practitioners of the Hai'an traditional tie-dye craft teach workers how to tie cloth, which is then dyed by the robots. This approach maintains its personalization and differentiation while achieving consistency in style and stability in product quality.

Currently, the completion rate of the smart AI dyeing sampling robot exceeds 95 percent. Further testing will be conducted on aspects such as visual positioning, sensor intensity, flow rates, and pressure to reduce errors in production.