Tech to find lost articles

A new technology has been developed by scientists to trace lost items within seconds using a special search engine on a smartphone or a computer. The system takes only a few seconds to tell the user exactly which drawer their wallet is in, or where they left their car keys. The gadget called, FindMyStuff, allows a user to type the name of the lost object into a Google-like page or app. A network of tiny sensors will have to be placed on valuables, within furniture and around home; the app will give results like ‘Your keys are behind the sofa cushion’. With sensors, transmitters and chips becoming ever smaller and cheaper, the world was moving towards ‘digital homes’, places where almost everything owned could be communicated with computers.

If the tech is made smaller, the sensors of FindMyStuff could even be placed on sunglasses and such. Phone manufacturers could integrate this technology into phones and smart furnitures could be made by putting antennas in them. The German team behind the invention of the product will unveil the system next month. The team said that the technology could be made commercially available if electronic companies and furniture makers helped build and market the product. The system is said to cost around 43 pounds or Rs 4063.