The article
Origami, the art of folding pieces of paper to create shapes, is an appealing concept for robotics because you can transform two dimensional materials into three dimensional structures that are inherently flexible, or, as a roboticist would say, "deformable." What's more, structures that fold and unfold enable all kinds of interesting functionality that would otherwise only be possible with systems that are much more complex. The wheel and hooks together can deform from a minimum diameter of 55 millimeters to a maximum diameter of 120 millimeters, which is a substantial range, especially considering that the transformation only requires one single actuator per wheel.
Future implications
This particular type of wheel wouldn't have a whole lot of things to improve upon beyond the materials used to make it. However, that is not to say that it wouldn't be used on a larger scale. Have a robot meany for cleaning but can't quite fit under that couch? One quite adjustment of the wheels and now it can. Similarly, are you driving across some tough train and just can't get enough traction? Adjust your wheels and you're on your way.