As detailed in a recently published paper, the self-contained robotic partitions that can independently navigate an office space through the use of various sensors, but can also work as a larger swarm with other WaddleWalls units to assemble a privacy barrier around a worker on demand. In the morning, users of a shared office space might be more inclined to interact with each other to sort out the day’s goals, while later in the day, they might prefer more privacy to focus on getting work done, or as to not bother others with phone calls.
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The system currently relies on a special controller to call the WaddleWalls units over and to orientate them as needed, including adjusting the height of the vertical barrier to increase or decrease privacy. But specific layouts can also be pre-programmed in advance, like a group of private working spaces for multiple users, or a display wall for making presentations, which could be triggered to assemble automatically so there’s far less manual setup involved.
For those who work in an office with an open floor plan and often find themselves scrambling to locate a private space for a phone call or video call, the general idea of the WaddleWalls isn’t entirely outlandish. And eventually, the researchers want to expand the idea with additional units that can provide temporary desks, shelving, and even filing cabinets on demand. It’s certainly a concept that office managers might embrace, but employees? Imagine finding out you’ve been laid off when the cubicle you’re working in suddenly starts to disassemble itself and roll away. It’s as unsettling an idea as it is a probable one.