KINGSTON, Ontario, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers have invented a so-called attentive office cubicle that blocks noise and visual distractions using interactive computer technology.
The Human Media Laboratory of Queen's University said the attentive cubicle's walls are constructed of a translucent material called Privacy Glass that consists of a glass pane with an embedded layer of liquid crystals.
Overhead cameras mounted in the ceiling track the "social geometry" between co-workers. When potential communication partners are detected, the cubicle's walls automatically change from opaque to transparent, allowing for visual interaction.
Attentive cubicle workers also wear headphones that filter out noise generated by co-workers in other cubicles. The headphones can detect when co-workers are looking at the wearer. When the headphones detect an approaching co-worker, they automatically turn off noise-cancellation to allow workers to communicate normally.
The headphones also increase the user's perceptual capabilities. They can pause or fast-forward live conversations, for example, allowing wearers to listen to two conversations at once. Using speech recognition, the headsets can automatically query Google with key phrases from the conversation.
The attentive office is described in the January issue of the journal Scientific American.
