TV personality Gail Porter braved the cold of Broughty Ferry beach to launch the latest invention from businesswoman Jenny McLaughlan.
Gail and Jenny released 500 balloons for the new I Am Lost coding system.
Jenny explained: “The thought of losing your child’s stuffed toy she uses to go to sleep or finding someone’s phone on holiday is awful.
“What if there’s a simple way to make a vehicle to get things back?
“You so often see something saying ‘I’ve lost such and such’ with a mobile number attached.”
However, Jenny said more and more often people are not wanting to publish their number for security reasons.
That is where the I Am Lost system kicks in.
“There’s a unique code stamped on things,” Jenny said.
When the item is found by someone, they can enter the code in the app, which asks a couple of questions and generates an email to allow both the finder and the person who lost it to arrange getting the item back.
But the coding does not stop there.
Jenny’s company, Gemious, has also created special adjustable identity bracelets for children which carry a unique code linked to three separate contact numbers for parents, grandparents or family friends if a child goes missing.
Gail praised the system.
“I’m a big loser of possessions,” she said. “The worst thing I lost was my beige Mulberry handbag.
“It had keys, my passport and more. The whole idea of having a number stamped on things is great.”
Gail said her 11-year-old daughter Honey is following in her footsteps.
She said: “I seem to constantly be searching for lost items. To be fair though, she totally takes after me.
“I wish I had the I Am Lost app years ago. It would have saved me an absolute fortune.”
Ellie Johnson from Black Cherry Design helped develop the app.
She said: “It’s been eight months in the pipeline. It’s amazing to see it coming to fruition.”