L. Coney, M. Safa, U. Verma
Bruce Corporation,
United States
Keywords: sensors, loss, theft, prevention, RFID, security, automation
Summary:
The NeverLoseIt is a patented technology solution for consumer loss and theft prevention that alerts users when a loss is imminent so that the user can retrieve the tagged item before it is actually lost or left behind. This approach places the control for loss and theft prevention in the hands of users. The added benefit is that this approach promotes privacy by design as an essential element of project development. Privacy is the single greatest challenge in a 24-7 connected world. Solutions providing transparency to users and delivery of just in time communications to support user engagement at key points to effect a positive or avert a negative outcome is essential to maintain low dependency on remote computing solutions to problems. This project will result in invaluable research on the viability of an innovative approach to loss and theft prevention that uses proximity initially in feet but to extend to inches and ultimately fractions of an inch based on wireless signal proximity. Proximity rules are used to trigger alerts to avert losses and thefts. Further, the work will survey the application of security and authentication techniques to assure the end-to-end trustworthiness of the approach to loss and theft prevention. The project will investigate the size and scope that can be achieved when linking wireless devices intended to function as a loss and theft security fog network while addressing the question of motion-triggered false negatives and false positives. The number of portable devices that people carry with them is growing, and on average people lose 1 item annually. The time spent searching for lost items is 2.5 days annually and costs U.S. households a total of $2.7 billion a year. Millennials are twice as likely to forget something as baby boomers. The typical cost of replacing a lost item is $220, but the value of these items to consumers is the data they contain. About 70% of the things lost have stored data that includes pictures, contacts, calendars, and other information that is irreplaceable. Consumers report that 18 percent of losses are thefts, and another 19% occur on public transportation. The other reasons for losses are forgetfulness or merely being too distracted to notice something was being left behind. Only 29% of people have had a lost wallet or purse returned to them by a stranger, and just 27% have had a lost phone returned by a stranger. The solution is to not lose things by being alerted before you leave their presence so that it can be retrieved. Using a patented proximity-based approach to loss prevention an alert can be sent to the user/owner before they move too far from a lost item so that it can be retrieved.