The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) is leading to an ever-increasing number of connected devices deployed in diverse environments [1, 2, 11, 44, 45, 46, 49]. Many of these devices are battery-powered and require extended operational lifetimes, making ultra-low power consumption a critical design constraint [5, 9, 15]. Integrating displays into IoT devices is desirable for providing information or enabling user interaction (e.g., in notice board applications [3, 7, 11, 13]), but traditional display technologies such as LEDs [6, 13] or LCDs can be significant power consumers [4, 5, 15]. Electronic paper (e-paper) displays [22], leveraging a bistable technology that consumes power only during screen updates, offer a compelling alternative for power-constrained applications requiring static information display. This article presents the design and evaluation of an ultra-low power IoT device incorporating an e-paper display, conceived for applications like a digital sticky note. The system architecture is detailed, encompassing a power-efficient microcontroller [8, 17, 27], communication module(s) (considering options like LoRa [2, 16, 18, 19, 45], Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) [7, 10, 30, 40, 41], and Wi-Fi [12, 32, 47]), an e-paper display [22], and power management circuitry [20, 21]. The implementation leverages low-power modes [12, 24, 47] and communication protocols suitable for energy-constrained scenarios (e.g., MQTT [1, 31, 33, 41, 44]). The evaluation focuses on quantifying the device's power consumption in various operational states using precision measurement equipment [42, 43] and estimating battery life. Results demonstrate the feasibility of achieving ultra-low power operation and extended battery life, positioning the device concept as highly suitable for static or infrequently updated information displays in battery-powered IoT applications where power efficiency is paramount.

Ultra-Low Power, Sticky Note, E-Paper Display, Internet of Things (IoT), Energy Efficiency

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