Why lost & found needs a rethink
Lost property is often treated as a minor administrative issue — yet its inefficiency causes real financial waste, inconvenience, and lost belongings.
Items lost annually via Transport for London — most left unclaimed.
Belongings enter Mentari Intercultural School Jakarta’s lost-and-found each year.
Of the student body affected by lost items every year.
The core issue isn't the absence of a lost-and-found system — it's the lack of an efficient mechanism to quickly link found items back to their owners. Existing approaches rely on either manual record-keeping or battery-powered tracking hardware like AirTags. StickNSeek explores whether a passive QR-based identification system can cut recovery time while staying free and accessible to everyone.
Research Problems
- 1
How effectively can a QR-code-based lost-and-found platform improve the recovery rate of lost personal belongings compared to conventional systems?
- 2
How can user privacy be maintained while enabling efficient communication between finders and owners during the recovery process?
Research Purposes
- 1
Develop and evaluate a QR-code-based platform that improves the efficiency and success rate of recovering lost belongings in schools and public spaces.
- 2
Assess the effectiveness of the platform's privacy-preserving system in securely connecting finders and owners without exposing personal information.
- 3
Determine the usability and reliability of features like real-time notifications, secure drop-off locations, and recovery records.