Tags (Lost and Found)
Image Credit: Zach Moore
Resources
Situation
AirTags are expensive or impractical for many everyday items like water bottles, board games, disc golf discs, or other small belongings. The goal was a simple, we wanted a battery-free lost-and-found system that allows individuals to contact each other privately. We also wanted to avoid sharing personal contact information such as email addresses or phone numbers directly.
This concept could also lead to a business opportunity, including inventory management, selling stickers on demand, or offering permanent tag engravings. At the same time, users should be able to print their own stickers and use a hosted service for free.
Task
Create a QR-based lost-and-found platform that generates unique URLs for owners to register their tags and provides a simple form for anyone who scans a tag to privately contact the owner.
Develop a process to mass-produce and distribute physical tags with durable printing and packaging.
Action
- Built a node.js API backend service handling tag creation, lookups, and message forwarding without giving away personal information publicly.
- Deployed a lightweight React frontend for owners to register their tags and for finders to send messages to owners.
- Created a script to generate both thousands of unique QR codes and correctly formatted files for sending to a commercial printer and cutter.
- Designed packaging for distributing the tags in sets of 4 with clear setup instructions.
- Manufactured stickers and packaging with card stock, printable vinyl, a printer, and a Cricut cutting machine.
- Ran one batch of 2,000 tags to distribute for testing and feedback.
Result
Last modified: 9 Nov 2025