LAF

LaF.is is a social app designed to help people recover lost property and connect finders with owners using blockchain technology.

Users can register their items by placing unique tags - either unique QR codes or programable HaLo NFC tags on their items. In case one of the items it lost and gets found by any passing-by person, our network provides an incentive to scan the QR code/NFC tag in order to get a reward and report the loss.

Once the missing item is reported found, a soul-bound token is minted with the unique identifier of the item and the GPS location. At the same time, the owner is notified by a push message and is prompted to deposit a reward in an escrow account to incentivise to return of the item. Once the item is returned, the owner releases the escrow.

Our app is easy-to use - finders do not need to have a wallet or crypto - we provide a social login using Privy and sponsor reporting gas fees using a paymaster. It is published as a WorldID mini-app, thus having a bigger distribution throughout WorldID users, who can use their WorldCoin tokens to incentivise item retrieval.

Apart from providing a monetary incentive, our project provides a way to build a trust network, with users accumulating soul-bound trust tokens by helping members of their community to retrieve items.

Built as a lightweight React/Vite application with wagmi/viem for blockchain interactions, LaF.is leverages NFC technology and smart QR tags to create a trustless, incentivised system. The app aims to achieve product-market fit by offering a simple, mobile-first experience with a playful "Love Is..."-inspired design. Our app is published as a WorldID mini-app thus having a wide distribution among WorldID users, who can use their WorldCoin balance to provide initial incentives to finders to retrieve lost items. The app does not have a centralized back-end, instead opting to index blockchain data to retrieve information on lost/reported items as well as a keep track of users through GraphQL's subgraphs.

LaF empowers users to preventively generate QR-coded NFC tags for items prone to being lost (e.g., wallets, phones, keys) and mint them as NFTs on a blockchain. When an item is lost, finders can scan the QR tag with any NFC-enabled phone, triggering a smart contract to instantly pay a 10% USDC reward. The remaining 90% is released upon owner confirmation of return or automatically after a 7-day deadline. The app uses Privy for frictionless onboarding (email/social login with embedded wallets) and plans to integrate AI for future photo-matching, ensuring a scalable solution.

How It Works

Tag Generation: Users create a unique QR tag for their items by selecting a category and choosing an optional reward. They receive a downloadable QR code to print or attach to their belongings.Losing and Reporting: If an item is lost, the owner can report it and set a reward. Finders can scan the QR code or report a found item, receiving an instant small reward (10% of the total) as a thank-you.Matching and Payout: The owner confirms the item’s return to release the remaining reward (90%). If the owner doesn’t respond within 7 days, the finder can claim the rest. Finders can easily convert their rewards to cash.Community Engagement: Users can explore a list of lost items to help return them, building a trusting community. The app’s fun, heartwarming design and phrases like "Laf is… bringing things back together!" encourage participation.