Text/Written by: Lian-Ying Huang Images by: NCKU Atelier Future
On November 27, 2024, at the Future Bento gathering in the Future Venue 2F (X Foyer), six NCKU students, faculty, and industry "coaches" came together to witness breakthroughs and innovations in e-paper technology applied to everyday campus life.
During the third "Future Dynamic Program," three student groups presented their ideas for the "Future of Paper":
- A collaborative system enabling efficient, cross-domain communication and learning.
- An electronic communication board addressing the lack of a unified messaging system within the campus, offering efficient solutions with interactive capabilities.
- A system for digital equipment borrowing records tailored to various laboratory requirements, not only saving paper but upgrading to intelligent management.
These projects were actualized through programming technologies and showcased on November 27, allowing attendees to experience them via 13.3-inch eNote notebooks produced by E-Ink. These applications bridged the familiar use of e-paper for e-readers with daily university life, providing a feasible demonstration of deeper integration into campuses.
From Novices to Pioneers in E-Paper Applications
The journey began last summer when CEO Leslie Tsai initiated collaboration discussions with E-Ink Senior Manager Elsa Wu. By February this year, six students (from various departments such as Political Science, Biology, and Electrical Engineering) began their exploration based on eNote, spanning over six months of project work. Initially planned as a single topic focus, the group branched into three themes, reflecting their diverse academic interests and presenting richer e-paper applications.
From not knowing what e-paper could achieve to proposing system designs based on eNote as solutions derived from their environment, students pursued autonomous learning and contributed to sustainable efforts by integrating e-paper into future living and working environments.
Industry Mentorship: Cross-Disciplinary Guidance
A mentorship team supported this journey called "Shepherds," guiding six students from diverse academic backgrounds through two main phases: training courses and prototype development. These efforts transformed their ideas into reality, culminating in tangible results. Hui-Rou Chen, a member of the laboratory equipment recording group and one of the hosts of the Future Bento event, provided a detailed overview of the mentors' enriching contributions to the project:
From February to June, the training phase was led by Po-Yun Yeh, Director of Loft Work Taiwan Fab, who helped refine the ideation process. For user interface design, Te-Chun Lee, Vice President of the Taiwan Interaction Design Association, conducted UI/UX design courses.
During the prototype development phase, Wu Chan-Wei, founder of Hao Xiang Studio, offered engineering feedback. An on-site engineer, Jing-Xiang Chang helped transform Figma UI designs into functional apps.
E Ink, as the industry partner, provided practical implementation guidance. In addition to Senior Manager Elsa, who interacted closely with the student groups, contributions were made by:
Deputy Project Manager Zhan-Hong Lin, who ensured alignment between software design and product features.
Senior Engineer Yu-Ting Huang, who provided final UI adjustments and tool instructions.
Senior Engineer Yu-Zhang Xu, who resolved technical challenges.
This network of learning and practice connected multiple domains. CEO Leslie highlighted: “The solutions these students devised were rooted in campus life. This was largely due to the extended UI/UX training emphasizing Human-Centered Design. It reminded everyone to place themselves in real-world scenarios during project development repeatedly. The three groups’ presentations represent profound reflections.”
Low Power, High Efficiency: The New Value of E-Paper in the ESG Era
E-Ink's e-paper technology leads the world with its advanced features. It offers a writing experience akin to paper, low power consumption due to its non-continuous power requirements, and the ability to display black-and-white or color images through electrophoretic technology. Unlike LCD or OLED displays, e-paper mimics paper qualities, reflecting ambient light to deliver clear readability while reducing eye strain. Beyond e-readers, e-paper applications are visible in electronic shelf labels, outdoor billboards, and bus stop signage.
In recent years, as various industries have focused on the core principles of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) sustainability, e-paper has gained attention for its paper-like writing capabilities combined with energy-saving and carbon-reducing benefits. "Through this collaboration, we can see how students have enhanced the traditionally display-oriented functionality of electronic products by adding more interactive elements, achieving not only paper savings but also improvements in efficiency and information security," Elsa remarked during her introduction of e-paper, expressing her amazement at the student team’s accomplishments.
Proposal 1: Collaborative Learning System
"What are the learning needs of NCKU students?" This question, posed by Ming-Hung Lin from the Department of Political Science and Chen-Chien Kao from the Department of Life Sciences, prompted their investigation into student demands. They developed a collaborative platform that incorporates cross-year historical notes, past exam papers, and shared editing capabilities. The system allows students to record their learning insights, much like writing in a notebook, while integrating these into the platform.
"We wanted to bring e-paper closer to its essence, like how paper traditionally serves as an important medium for sharing information—like passing notes in childhood," explained Lin and Kao. Drawing inspiration from note-passing and sticky notes, they added features such as a customized message board for emotional expression, akin to a pen-pal system.
The duo believes this collaborative learning system can be extended to study groups, making learning environments more diverse. Leslie supported this view, emphasizing how this system not only integrates learning processes but also fosters interpersonal relationships. It delves into how interactions and information-sharing can be reimagined in the post-pandemic era.
Proposal 2: Electronic Communication Board
Shao-Ming Ruan and Bo-Ming Li from the Department of Electrical Engineering began their project by addressing everyday issues. They asked their peers: "Has anyone experienced a situation where a teacher posted on Moodle saying today's class is canceled, but the notification didn't reach your phone until two hours later?" Many students acknowledged similar delays. They also pointed out another common problem: receiving irrelevant emails not addressing immediate student needs. From these observations, the duo began exploring the concept of "communication."
They noted that even when a message is delivered, the response often varies depending on the recipient. "That's why two-way communication is crucial," they emphasized, leading them to create the Electronic Communication Board, which integrates bidirectional interaction. Using a calendar as the starting point, users can provide feedback on topics of interest for the day, initiating two-way interaction. "Our goal with e-paper is to ensure not only accurate, reliable, and efficient communication but also to create a shared, interactive channel for information exchange," they explained. The system could even evolve into a medium for sending messages via e-paper.
One student suggested adding inspirational quotes or "golden phrases" to the communication board, providing insights from other fields beyond professional knowledge.
Proposal 3: Digitized Records for Laboratory Equipment Usage
Hui-Rou Chen from the Department of Life Sciences and Shih-Chien Chen from the Institute of Business Research proposed a digital reform for the campus laboratory equipment borrowing system. "Throughout our undergraduate journey, from academic research to graduation theses and industry-academia collaborations, many disciplines are closely tied to laboratories," they noted. The pair identified issues such as disorganized logbooks and administrative inefficiencies. Despite the existence of an online reservation system, administrators still needed to manually record entries, resulting in a lack of synchronization between paper-based and online data.
One student shared their experience of needing to borrow equipment managed by different departments, requiring separate logins for each application. Hui-Rou Chen explained, "To reduce paper waste, we integrated all laboratory logbooks into eNotes. Faculty and students can use NFC-enabled ID cards to log in and manage equipment borrowing, improving efficiency and enhancing security for borrowing permissions while linking data to the administrative system."
Hui-Rou and Shih-Chien emphasized the benefits of consolidating multiple laboratory equipment borrowing logs into a single system. Based on an estimate of 100 borrowable machines, the paper usage for logbooks could exceed 30,000 sheets annually per department. "Replacing traditional paper records with this system has significant environmental benefits in terms of sustainability," they said. This approach also optimizes space and saves time.
During the sharing session, a faculty member who had managed laboratories attended to experience the group's solution. Elsa praised the outcomes of all three groups, noting that their projects could be further refined by E-Ink's research and development team, with high potential for commercialization.
Cross-Disciplinary Exploration: The Team's Learning Transformation
Shao-Ming Ruan and Bo-Ming Li, both from the Department of Electrical Engineering, developed the Electronic Communication Board and had a relevant technical foundation. "Our team first created a prototype using web-based tools, which was then converted into eNote-compatible language by engineers," they explained. Meanwhile, Hui-Rou Chen and Shih-Chien Chen, who worked on the Digitized Records for Laboratory Equipment, were from unrelated fields. They focused on conceptual development before seeking assistance from engineers at Hao Xiang Studio, also learning to use AI tools to write the necessary code.
Ming-Hung Lin, from the Collaborative Learning System team, shared his experience: "Initially, I didn’t know what interface design was, but after learning about it, I found it really enjoyable. I even started considering a future in interface design." Shao-Ming Ruan and Bo-Ming Li added: "From front-end to back-end web development, we even became experts in presentations (laughs). The programming structure was different from what we were used to, but learning how to create a webpage was crucial in turning our ideas into reality."
Inspiration and Practice Between Students, Faculty, and Industry
This journey into the "Future of Paper" was not only about technical achievements but also a process of intellectual and conceptual growth for the six students involved. E-paper served as a catalyst, enabling them to delve deeply into topics of interest, conceptualize solutions, and ultimately transform imagination into reality.
Elsa, E-Ink’s Senior Manager, reflected on the collaboration: "This was a project that brought me immense joy. These young students devoted themselves to the project outside of their regular classes, without any direct link to grades or personal gain. Their dedication was deeply moving." She noted how the students’ perspectives provided insights into the broad potential of integrating e-paper into campus life.
CEO Leslie described the students’ journey from understanding the basics of e-paper to producing tangible results: "From planning, designing, and mock-ups to final implementation, this process took a long time and represents exactly what we hope NCKU students can achieve—innovating for the future." Starting from their own campus experiences, they delved into the issues at hand, bringing their thinking closer to the core of sustainability. "For the next generation, the next stage, equipped with new technologies and aiming for new scenarios, we must believe in our collective ability to create."
