E-Paper Reminder for Seniors

Inspiration

Many elderly people struggle to remember appointments, medications, and daily activities. They often rely on family members or caregivers, which can reduce their independence. We wanted to create a simple, stress-free device that helps seniors manage their routines confidently on their own.

What It Does

The device is a lightweight e-paper display paired with a NeoPixel LED. It provides:

Clear reminders for appointments, medications, and daily activities.
Color-coded visual cues via NeoPixel (e.g., red for urgent, green for completed).
Remote updates through a web interface or Telegram, making it easy to add reminders without accessing the web UI.
Secure communication between the ESP32 and server using TOTP-based authentication.

How We Built It

Hardware: ESP32 microcontroller + e-paper display + NeoPixel LED, all housed in a custom 3D-printed enclosure designed in Fusion 360.
Software: Flask backend to manage the web server. A Telegram bot was integrated to allow reminders to be added directly via chat.
Integration: The ESP32 fetches reminder data from the server and updates the e-paper display and NeoPixel LED. TOTP codes ensure secure device-server communication.

Simplified workflow:

$$ \text{User Input (Web/Telegram)} \;\;\longrightarrow\;\; \text{Flask Server} \;\;\longrightarrow\;\; \text{ESP32 + E-paper + NeoPixel} $$

Challenges

Integrating ESP32, e-paper, NeoPixel, Telegram bot, and secure communication into a single system.
Debugging Arduino (INO) code for display refreshes, LED cues, and network updates.
Implementing TOTP authentication on both the ESP32 and the Flask server.
Designing the system to be secure yet lightweight for embedded hardware.
Ensuring text readability and usability for elderly users.

What We Learned

Designing and 3D-printing enclosures using Fusion 360.
Building a Flask-based web server.
Wiring and programming the ESP32 with e-paper and NeoPixel.
Creating and integrating a Telegram bot for remote data entry.
Implementing TOTP-based security to authenticate device-server communication.
Combining hardware, software, and security into a user-friendly solution.

What’s Next

Adding voice reminders for accessibility.
Expanding the Telegram bot for two-way updates and confirmations.
Improving battery life and wireless stability.
Scaling the design into a fully polished, production-ready, secure IoT device.

Tagline:
"A secure e-paper reminder system with NeoPixel cues, Telegram updates, and TOTP authentication — helping seniors stay independent and connected."