WaddleWalls: Room-scale Interactive Partitioning System using a Swarm of Robotic Partitions

Document Title

WaddleWalls: Room-scale Interactive Partitioning System using a Swarm of Robotic Partitions

Document Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction, Spatial Design, Robotic Furniture
• Keywords: Spatial Input, Shape-changing Devices, Robotic Furniture, Office Design, Privacy Protection, Adaptive Workspaces, Swarm Robotics

Research Background and Issues

• Problems or Challenges:

  • Traditional office space design struggles to balance personal privacy and social interaction needs, especially in open-plan office environments.
  • Conventional partitioning tools (e.g., fixed or mobile partitions) lack flexibility, making it difficult to adapt to frequently changing privacy needs, social interactions, and spatial usage patterns.
  • Existing robotic furniture technologies are limited to near-field interactions and have yet to scale to room-level dynamic spatial reconfiguration.

• Significance:

  • With the diversification of work styles, achieving a flexible balance between work efficiency, privacy protection, and interaction needs has become a critical research focus.
  • Precise and dynamic spatial configurations can enhance individual satisfaction and team collaboration efficiency in office environments.

• Research Motivation:

  • In modern open-plan office environments, the interaction and privacy needs of multiple employees often conflict, necessitating an adaptive spatial configuration system.
  • Leveraging robotics and sensing technologies to provide dynamic, flexible room-scale partitioning solutions holds significant technical potential.

Solution

• Method/Solution:

  • The WaddleWalls system is proposed, consisting of a set of scalable autonomous robotic partition devices that dynamically adjust workspace layouts based on user needs.
  • The system employs a user-interactive spatial interface designed from an egocentric perspective, operated via handheld controllers or preset configurations to manipulate partition components.

• Innovations:

  • WaddleWalls is the first to extend swarm robotics technology to room-scale applications, supporting dynamic reconfiguration of workspaces.
  • Introduced dynamic height adjustment functionality for partitions, enabling users to seamlessly switch between privacy and social interaction needs.
  • Provides a direct, perspective-based operation method, reducing users' physical and cognitive burdens.

• Implementation Steps:

  1. Adjust robotic partition components to their initial positions.
  2. Users specify target positions, heights, and angles via handheld controllers.
  3. The system automatically plans paths using collision avoidance algorithms to drive the partitions to target positions.
  4. Offers preset layout options that can be saved and recalled, along with manual fine-tuning functionality.

• Key Technologies:

  • Utilized two-wheeled chassis robotic drive units and adjustable-height lifting systems to achieve dynamic spatial partitioning.
  • Applied the Hungarian algorithm to optimize partition target point allocation and used the RVO (Reciprocal Velocity Obstacle) algorithm for collision avoidance.
  • HTC VIVE system was employed for tracking the position and height of partition components.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Outcomes:

  • Designed and implemented a proof-of-concept prototype of WaddleWalls, supporting simultaneous control of four robotic partition components.
  • Demonstrated several application scenarios, including emergency private space creation, visual shielding in open offices, and interactive exhibition design.
  • User evaluations indicated that WaddleWalls significantly reduced physical and time costs associated with partition layout adjustments.

• Advantages:

  • Compared to traditional wheeled partition devices, WaddleWalls is more efficient in dynamic adjustments and reconfiguration, with significantly reduced physical burden.
  • The system demonstrates multifunctionality, particularly excelling in dynamic height adjustment and rapid layout recall.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • In user experience studies, compared to traditional partitioning methods, WaddleWalls achieved better NASA-TLX scores in physical effort (68.4% reduction), cognitive load, and time consumption.
  • Most users provided positive feedback on the system but noted issues such as slow hardware adjustment speeds and the need for improved positioning accuracy.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • The current speed of height adjustment is slow, requiring improvements in lifting motor performance.
  • The system needs further optimization for control precision and gaps between partition components.
  • Performance validation in larger spaces and real-world office scenarios is needed, along with exploring potential psychological concerns (e.g., feelings of isolation or privacy issues).
  • Future work includes expanding to more partition components, exploring more complex spatial optimization scenarios, and analyzing the integration of automated systems with other autonomous furniture.