Energy-efficient Timetable Display for Meeting Rooms using e-Paper Technology and Low-powered Microcontrollers

Company meetings have an important role in the decision-making process and the monitoring of daily work activities, having a powerful impact on the future of the organizations. Meeting rooms provide a physical space for these events, however their number is limited, which makes both their booking difficult, as well as keeping track of their schedules more complicated. The purpose of this research is to develop a solution for providing easy to access information regarding the status and daily schedule of a particular meeting room. This would help avoid possible overlaps and other inconveniences that can occur if reservations are not tracked accurately. The main goal was to build a device composed of low-cost hardware components that are also energy-efficient, while providing a configurable and easily programmable interface. Multiple prototypes with different hardware and software components were designed, implemented and compared, leading to a microcontroller powered device, as the final result. It is an easily configurable device that can connect to an internal wireless network, it has an energy-efficient e-Paper display and a rotary encoder for managing user interactions. In order to simplify the management of multiple rooms and devices, a central server has been created, providing integration with calendar services. The server is also designed to run within the company's internal network, guaranteeing security and possibility for customization.