Prof. Dr. Marcel Meli

Work at ZHAW

Focus

• Head of Research Area: Low Power Wireless Embedded Systems
• Low Power Embedded Systems; Asynchronous microcontrollers; Low Power Memories
• Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN); Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN); RFID and RFID Sensor Networks
• Energy Harvesting (e.g. TEG, Solar, Piezo, Electrodynamic, RF, Triboelectric)
• Applications of Printed Electronics; Wearables; Application of Spintronics

Teaching

• Computer Engineering
• Internet of Things (Wireless and Low Power)

Experience

• Lecturer; Head of Research Area
  ZHAW, Winterthur, CH
  1999 - today
• Development Engineer; Test and Design for Test for Integrated Circuits (Microcontrollers, Communication)
  Faselec/Philips Semiconductors, Zürich, CH
  1992 - 1999
• Development Engineer; Embedded Systems
  Studer-Revox, Regensdorf, CH
  1989 - 1992

Education and Continuing education

Education

• PhD / Electrical Engineering
  Universtity of Wales, Institue of Science and Technology, Cardiff, UK
  1985 - 1989
• Postgraduate Diploma / Electrical Engineering
  Universtity of Wales, Institue of Science and Technology, Cardiff, UK
  1984 - 1985
• Diplôme d’ingénieur / Option électronique,
  Ecole Polytechnique, Yaounde, Cameroon
  1980 - 1983

Network

Membership of networks

• Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg (Member of Program Committee)
• Wireless Congress, Munich: Systems and Applications (Member of Program Committee)

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0009-0001-7266-3028

Awards

Best Paper Award
IEEE IDAACS-SWS 2020
09 / 2020

Projects

• HUVI.GUARDIAN: The first off-grid, edge-AI wildfire detection with network-independent communications / Project leader / ongoing
• Investigation of sensor for cryogenic applications / Project leader / completed
• Energy Harvesting on a Bike / Project leader / completed
• SUM - Low Power Monitoring / Project leader / completed
• Low Power Actuator / Project leader / completed
• Low-power Sensor / Project leader / completed
• Low-cost device for efficient cook stoves monitoring / Project leader / completed
• Smart Water Pipes / Project leader / completed
• AutonoMous self powered miniAturized iNtelligent sensor for environmental sensing anD asset tracking in smArt IoT environments / Project leader / completed
• Improved LPWAN / Project leader / completed
• Harvesting energy from cyclist heat to power a wireless embedded system on a bike / Project leader / completed
• EH demonstrator for Matrix Industries / Project leader / completed
• StereO2 – Low-power optical oxygen sensor / Team member / completed
• Car sharing system / Project leader / completed
• Battery-less energy source for standard Wireless Embedded Systems / Project leader / completed
• Wireless Digital Signage using E-Paper / Team member / completed
• Energy self-sufficient measurement system for leak detection in buried water pipes / Team member / completed
• Mobile phone-based object finder using energy scavenging to power misplaced objects / Project leader / completed
• User-friendly health logger with wireless links and increased energy autonomy / Team member / completed
• Feasibility study: Investigation of the use of the Dynapic Piezo as energy harvesting source for embedded wireless systems / Project leader / completed
• Self-powered wireless remote controller for consumer electronic / Project leader / completed
• Feasibility study: Electronic on line door lock cylinder integrating a wireless link / Project leader / completed
• Feasibility Study: Investigation of a new, innovative and universal power management concept for energy harvesters to be integrated in circuits used in wireless building automation (PULPP1). / Project leader / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Böbel, M. et al. (2023) 'Batteryless sensor devices for underground infrastructure : a long-term experiment on urban water pipes', Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications, 13(2), p. 31. doi: 10.3390/jlpea13020031.
• Meli, M. L. et al. (2023) 'Energy autonomous wireless sensing node working at 5 Lux from a 4 cm2 solar cell', Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications, 13(1), p. 12. doi: 10.3390/jlpea13010012.

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

• Kouzinopoulos, C. et al. (2026) 'A hardware-based multi-stage dynamic power management architecture for autonomous low-light operation', in Proceedings of the 31st International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3816440.3818565.
• Valdés Cambero, E. V. and Meli, M. (2024) 'Communication through hermetic metal boundaries', in Proceedings of the 2024 Embedded World Conference. WEKA, pp. 124–127. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-32770.
• Meli, M. and Maij, B. (2022) 'Energy autonomous LPWAN node for walls and bridges : 4 seasons results', in Wireless Congress 2022. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-26937.
• Meli, M. and Kunz, S. (2022) 'Using new memory technologies to reduce the energy requirements of LPWAN nodes', in Sikora, A. (ed.) Proceedings of Embedded World Conference 2022. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-26921.
• Meli, M. et al. (2020) 'Low power LoRaWAN node based on FRAM microcontroller', in Proceedings of the 2020 IEEE 5th International Symposium on Smart and Wireless Systems. IEEE. doi: 10.1109/IDAACS-SWS50031.2020.9297075.
• Meli, M. et al. (2020) 'Low light energy autonomous LoRaWAN node', in Proceedings of the 2020 IEEE 5th International Symposium on Smart and Wireless Systems. IEEE. doi: 10.1109/IDAACS-SWS50031.2020.9297089.
• Meli, M., Stajic, S. and Wick, S. (2020) 'Powering Sigfox nodes with harvested energy', in Embedded World Conference 2020, Nürnberg, 25.-27. Februar 2020. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-20066.
• Kouzinopoulos, C. S. et al. (2019) 'AMANDA : an autonomous self-powered miniaturized smart sensing embedded system', in 2019 IEEE 9th International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE-Berlin). IEEE, pp. 324–329. doi: 10.1109/ICCE-Berlin47944.2019.8966223.
• Meli, M. and Hegetschweiler, L. (2018) 'Harvesting energy from trees in order to power LPWAN IoT nodes', in Wireless congress proceedings. Munich: WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-18842.
• Meli, M. and Kräuchi, R. (2017) 'Limitations of current LP-WAN systems', in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2017 : Systems & Applications. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-20065.
• Meli, M., Brülisauer, C. and Bachmann, P. M. (2017) 'Evaluating the performance of smartphones scanning for low energy beacons', in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2017 : Systems & Applications. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-20064.
• Meli, M. and Dillersberger, H. (2014) 'Efficiently harvesting energy from temperature differences in order to power wireless systems', in Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, Germany, 12-13 November 2014. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-7145.

Other publications

• Alarcòn, E. et al. (2018) 'Low power wireless embedded systems', in Coustans, M. and Dehollain, C. (eds) Power Management for Internet of Everything. Aalborg: River Publishers, pp. 233–264.
• Brütsch, M. et al. (2018) 'Comparing the energy requirements of bluetooth smart devices (November 2018)', in Wireless Congress Proceedings. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-3163.
• Meli, M. (2018) 'Energy harvesting : nach dem Hype kommt später Erfolg', Elektronik, 2018(16).
• Meli, M. (2018) 'Energy harvesting : after the hype comes later success', elektroniknet.
• Meli, M. and Bachmann, P. M. (2016) 'Powering long range wireless nodes with harvested energy', in 13. Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, 9-10 November 2016. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2000.
• Meli, M. and Hegetschweiler, L. (2016) 'Affordable energy autonomous wireless sensor for day and night', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 23-25 February 2016. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2001.
• Gugg, M. et al. (2016) 'Comparing the energy requirements of current bluetooth smart solutions (February 2016)', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 23-25 February 2016. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-1999.
• Meli, M., Rion, O. and Widmer, L. (2016) 'Easy and safe pairing for bluetooth smart', in 13. Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, 9-10 November 2016. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-1996.
• Meli, M., Roth, N. and Gutzwiller, P. (2015) 'LEDs as cost-effective energy harvesters for IoT sensor nodes', in IDTechEx Conference, Energy Harvesting & Storage 2015, Berlin, Germany, April 2015.
• Meli, M. and Rion, O. (2015) 'Streaming speech and music using bluetooth low energy', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 24-26 February 2015. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-1997.
• Meli, M. (2015) 'Bringing down the cost of energy harvesting powered bluetooth smart tags by using LEDs as energy scavengers', in Bluetooth Europe 2015, London, 15-16 September 2015.
• Meli, M., Roth, N. and Gutzwiller, P. (2015) 'Wireless sensing using LEDs as very low-cost energy harvesters', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 24-26 February 2015. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-1998.
• Meli, M. and Roth, N. (2015) 'Unmögliches möglich machen : LEDs als günstige Energiesammler für autarke Kleinstenergieverbraucher', Polyscope, 2015(20). Available at: https://www.polyscope.ch/archiv/2015/20/unmoegliches-moeglich-machen/.
• Bernegger, J. and Meli, M. (2014) 'Comparing the energy requirements of current Bluetooth Smart solutions', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 25-27 February 2014. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2010.
• Dündar, D., Hegetschweiler, L. and Meli, M. (2014) 'Traffic analyzer front-end for complex IEEE 802.15.4 applications', in European ZigBee Developers Conference 2014, Munich, Germany, 12-13 November 2014. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2009.
• Hegetschweiler, L. and Meli, M. (2014) 'Unten Standard – oben proprietär : eine Übersicht über verschiedene Embedded-Wireless-Technologien – Beitrag 6/6', Polyscope, 2014(22).
• Meli, M. and Gutzwiller, P. (2014) 'Proprietär oder doch lieber Standard? : eine Übersicht über verschiedene Embedded-Wireless-Technologien – Beitrag 3/6', Polyscope, 2014(11). Available at: https://www.polyscope.ch/archiv/2014/11/proprietaer-oder-doch-lieber-standard/.
• Meli, M. et al. (2013) 'Bluetooth low energy everywhere : using the audio interface to bring Ble features to any smart phone', in Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, Germany, 6-7 November 2013. München: WEKA.
• Meli, M. (2013) 'Accelerometer-based wireless remote control powered with harvested energy', in Design & Elektronik Entwicklerforum, Munich, Germany, 9 October 2013. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2011.
• Meli, M. and Wuerth, M. (2012) 'Advertising position with battery-less Bluetooth low energy', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 28 February - 1 March 2012. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2019.
• Meli, M. and Da Silva, M. (2011) 'Battery-less sensor nodes for 802.15.4/ZigBee wireless networks', in Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, Germany, 9-10 November 2011. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2018.
• Meli, M. and Beerli, U. (2011) 'Indoor battery-less temperature and humidity sensor for Bluetooth Low Energy', in Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, Germany, 9-10 November 2011. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2020.
• Keller, S., Schweizer, M. and Meli, M. (2009) 'Intelligent and passive RFID tag for identification and sensing', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 3-5 March 2009. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2015.
• Condrau, D. et al. (2009) 'A touch and pair system for battery-free 802.15.4/ZigBee home automation networks', in 3rd European ZigBee Developer's Conference, Munich, Germany, 30 June - 1 July 2009. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2016.
• Meli, M. (2009) 'Récolte d'énergie pour alimentation des réseaux personnels sans fil : plus d'autonomie, plus d'économies, plus d'écologie!', Bulletin: Fachzeitschrift und Verbandsinformationen von Electrosuisse und VSE, 100(11), pp. 37–42. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2012.
• Benoît, D. et al. (2008) 'Asynchronous wake-up scheme for wireless light curtains', in 5. Wireless Congress: Systems & Applications, Munich, 12-13 November 2008. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2021.
• Gysel, M. and Meli, M. (2008) 'Connecting IEEE 802.15.4 / ZigBee devices in difficult physical Environments', in 2nd European ZigBee Developers" Conference, Munich, 24-25 June 2008. WEKA.
• Meli, M. and Bluem, A. (2008) 'A battery-less switch for use in 802.15.4 / ZigBee applications', in 2nd European ZigBee Developers" Conference, Munich, 24-25 June 2008. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2014.
• Meli, M. et al. (2008) 'Bidirectional 868/915 MHz wireless module powered with energy harverster', in 10th Wireless Technologies Congress, Bochum, 23-24 September 2008. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft AKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2013.
• Meli, M., Gysel, M. and Würms, M. (2007) 'Low cost solutions to pairing issues in IEEE 802.15.4 networks', in 1st European ZigBee Developers" Conference, Munich, 18-20 June 2007. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2022.
• Künzli, M. V. and Meli, M. (2007) Vom Gatter zu VHDL : eine Einführung in die Digitaltechnik. 3. Auflage. Zürich: vdf Hochschulverlag.
• Meli, M., Gysel, M. and Sommerhalder, M. (2006) 'Using IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee in audio applications', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 14-16 February 2006. WEKA. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2023.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Waldner, J. and Meli, M. (2024) 'Energy autonomous wireless remote control (presenter)', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 9-11 April 2024.
• Meli, M. and Favre, S. (2022) 'Harvesting energy in low light environments to power embedded systems', in Wireless Congress 2022 : Systems & Applications, Munich, Germany, 16-17 November 2022.
• Meli, M. and Maij, B. (2021) 'Battery-free LPWAN nodes for bridges and walls', in Embedded World Conference 2021, online, 1.-5. März 2021.
• Meli, M. (2020) 'Achieving energy autonomy for LPWAN nodes', in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2020 : Systems & Applications. München: WEKA.
• Meli, M. (2020) 'The AMANDA project', in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2020 : Systems & Applications. München: WEKA.
• Meli, M. and Maij, B. (2020) 'Autonomous wireless sensors for walls and bridges', in Proceedings of the Wireless Congress 2020 : Systems & Applications. München: WEKA.
• Rion, O. and Meli, M. (2014) 'BLE compatible low power window sensor for energy management', in swissT.meeting: Embedded Computing Conference, Winterthur, 1. Juli 2014.
• Meli, M. and Rion, O. (2013) 'Low power window detector for ZigBee home automation applications', in 7th European ZigBee Developers" Conference, Munich, Germany, 6-7 November 2013.
• Bernegger, J. and Meli, M. (2013) 'Energieverbrauch von verschiedene Bluetooth Smart Varianten', in swissT.meeting: Embedded Computing Conference, Winterthur, 27. August 2013.
• Rion, O., Meli, M. and Hutzler, M. (2013) 'Emulating complex HF-RFID protocols for identity and sensing', in swissT.meeting: Embedded Computing Conference, Winterthur, 27. August 2013.
• Meli, M., Kizhakenath, A. and Beerli, U. (2013) 'Using Bluetooth Smart with energy harvesting', in Embedded World Conference, Nuremberg, Germany, 26-28 February 2013.
• Meli, M. and Da Silva, M. (2012) 'Using FRAM in battery - less 802.15.4/zigBee applications', in 6th European ZigBee Developer's Conference, Munich, Germany, 27-28 June 2012.
• Doran, H. and Meli, M. (2009) 'Verbesserung autonomer Roboternavigation mit RFID basierten Pheromonen', in 11th Wireless Technologies Congress, Stuttgart, Deutschland, 29.-30. September 2009.

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

• Patent: US6657451, WO0140816 Method and integrated circuit arranged for feeding a test forcing pattern on a single shared pin of the circuit Inventor(s): MELI LOUIS MARCEL [CH] Applicant(s): KONINKL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV [NL]
• Patent: US6728900, WO0120455, EP1129408 Microcomputer with test instruction memory Inventor(s): MELI LOUIS MARCEL [CH] Applicant(s): KONINKL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV [NL]
• Patent: US7155597 Data processing device with aliased data pointer register Inventor(s): MELI LOUIS M [CH] Applicant(s): NXP BV [NL]

Patents and patent applications

• Kouzinopoulos, C. et al. (2025) 'System and method of energy management and saving via controlled power disconnection of smart sensor nodes and embedded systems'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DGR1010842B.
• Duetschler, U. and Meli, M. (2024) 'Signal forwarding method for a building management system'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DWO2024175600A1.
• Meli, M., Duetschler, U. and Maij, B. (2024) 'Wakeup-signal forwarding method for access enforcement point(s) and access control systems'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DWO2024175606A1.
• Meli, M., Dündar, D. and Koller, S. (2020) 'Handgriffeinheit'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DDE102019125080A1.
• Matter, D., Mumenthaler, S. and Meli, M. (2016) 'Mensch-Maschine Schnittstelle und Verfahren zum Ändern einer visuellen Markierung einer Schaltfläche einer Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstelle'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DEP3018826A1.
• Matter, D. et al. (2013) 'Piezoelectric signal generator'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DEP2636083A1.
• Koller, P. et al. (2011) 'Wireless, self-contained remote control'. Available at: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DEP2363845A1.

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