No battery. NFC updated. 19+ years of ePaper innovations.

Since 2006, we were quietly transforming how we think about displays — particularly in systems that don’t need batteries, yet still deliver real-time updates via NFC. What began as a bold experiment has become a mature portfolio of products and lessons, pointing toward a more sustainable, long-lasting future of signage and labels.

Early development: the first NFC-updated ePaper

In the mid-2000s, MpicoSys started exploring how ePaper materials could be added to access cards and similar small format devices. The idea: imagine a label or card that never needs replacing because its content can be updated over NFC, but it uses no battery power. These early experiments laid the foundation for what would later become reliable, “no-battery” NFC-updated product lines. 

The Casala Zifra chair system: built for longevity

One of the best-known early examples is the Casala Zifra chair-number system. First launched around 2010, these are no-battery, NFC-updated ePaper labels attached to chairs (for example in auditoriums or event spaces) that show a number or label. What’s remarkable: after more than 16 years, the system is still in use, now in its third generation. 

Zifra shows how early decisions—around modularity, durability of materials, ease of updating, and low maintenance—can pay off when the requirement is “install once, let it run for years.” The design choices made then have allowed the system to stay relevant through evolving NFC standards, wear and tear, and expectations for signage aesthetics.

Design for longevity, modularity, sustainability

From those early and ongoing systems several core lessons emerge:

• Longevity: Products must endure — physically, technologically, and aesthetically. EPaper doesn’t degrade like some printed media, but the components around it (substrates, adhesives, casing) must be chosen with durability in mind.
  
  
• Modularity: Being able to swap or upgrade parts (drivers, NFC modules, front lights, etc.) helps prolong life. It makes maintenance easier and keeps up with technological progress without throwing away the whole unit.
  
  
• Sustainability: No batteries, minimal power draw (only when updating), resistance to environmental stress. Over time, lower total resource consumption (manufacture + maintenance) becomes a big win.
  
  
• User-centered reliability: The product must “just work” — updates reliably over NFC, under low temperature, under different lighting, without frequent failures or user involvement.
  
  

The product family today

MpicoSys has translated these lessons into a family of modern products:

• PicoLabel — NFC-updated labels using EInk that allow frequent updating without replacing the label or powering it with batteries.
  
  
• PicoSign — indoor signage (and in some cases outdoor) that leverages ePaper, low power, minimal maintenance. Great for wayfinding, retail, and information displays.
  
  
• Custom projects — bespoke ePaper labels and cards for specific clients; driver/timing controller development; integrating into large display systems (e.g. transit or public signage).
  
  

These product lines offer combinations of no-battery, solar powered, NFC updated, or low-power wired battery systems, depending on need. 

Future vision: greener, smarter, maintenance-free

MpicoSys’s vision is to accelerate a shift away from paper and energy-hungry display technologies (LED, LCD, etc.) toward ePaper in many places where paper is still king: labels, signs, posters, chair numbers, tickets, etc. Because:

• EPaper only consumes power when changing image (or being updated), meaning “always on” signage can run with almost no power between updates.
  
  
• NFC updates let changes be made remotely without replacing hardware.
  
  
• The environmental impact (fewer materials, less electrical waste, fewer batteries) can be drastically lower.
  
  

In sectors like hospitality, transport, retail, and public infrastructure, there is rising demand for sustainability. MpicoSys sees tenders already increasingly demanding environmental criteria, making energy efficiency and low maintenance less “nice to have” and more essential.

They also foresee ePaper replacing many instances of traditional paper — not just because of cost or convenience, but because of the durability, lower long-term resource use, and ability to remain visually effective without frequent replacement.

Conclusion

For nearly two decades, MpicoSys has shown that ePaper + NFC updates + no batteries is not just a technical novelty but a viable, durable, sustainable alternative to many paper and display systems. From access cards to the Casala Zifra chairs to today’s PicoLabel and PicoSign products, their journey teaches us that thoughtful design, modularity, and commitment to sustainability can yield technology that lasts — and doesn’t cost the Earth.