Searching for misplaced keys, phones, or wallets is a common nuisance. Find My Stuff (FiMS) provides search support for physical objects inside furniture, on room level, and in multiple locations, e.g., home and office. Stuff tags make objects searchable while all other localization components are integrated into furniture. FiMS requires minimal configuration and automatically adapts to the user's furniture arrangement. Object search is supported with relative position cues, such as "phone is inside top drawer" or "the wallet is between couch and table," which do not require exact object localization. Functional evaluation of our prototype shows the approach's practicality with sufficient accuracy in realistic environments and low energy consumption. We also conducted two user studies, which showed that objects can be retrieved significantly faster with FiMS than manual search and that our relative position cues provide better support than map-based cues. Combined with audiovisual feedback, FiMS also outperforms spotlight-based cues.

Searching for lost keys, wallets or mobile phones is a common nuisance. Compared to digital information, search support for physical objects is very limited. We propose Find My Stuff (FiMS) as a search engine for physical objects. We built a fully functional Arduino-based prototype. FiMS offers the users a simple search interface to locate tagged physical items in different indoor environments. A hierarchical search process ensures energy efficient and effective searches. Instead of a fixed search infrastructure, the localization system is based on SmartFurniture equipped with RFID readers and ZigBee modules. Search results provide intuitive search cues based on relative positioning to support users in the physical retrieval of their lost objects. The system requires no manual calibration and is robust against rearrangement of SmartFurniture. Safety mechanisms prevent abuse of the system and protect user privacy.