The Royal Mail has launched the world’s first “intelligent” stamp.
The stamp is the first to work with image recognition technology, which will launch exclusive online content when activated by an iPhone or Android smartphone.
The initial stamp is part of the Royal Mail’s latest Great British Railways edition.
Consumers can use the stamps via the free Junaio application, available in the iTunes store and Android Market.
The app contains a Royal Mail channel which activates the phone’s camera. Users place the camera over the stamp, which automatically launches the online content.
Royal Mail has created a short film of Bernard Cribbins reading WH Auden’s poem Night Mail for the launch, first made famous in the 1936 documentary film of the same name about the London to Glasgow postal train.
Mr Cribbins said: “W.H. Auden wrote the Night Mail poem in 1936 for the Post Office’s own blockbuster film of the same name, which has for years remained in the hearts and minds of many.
“I’m excited to be bringing it to a brand new audience, and to help take Royal Mail Stamps into a new era by using state-of-the-art interactive technology.” Royal Mail stamps spokesman Philip Parker said: “This is the first time a national postal service has used this kind of technology on their stamps and we’re very excited to be bringing intelligent stamps to the nation’s post.
“Intelligent stamps mark the next step in the evolution of our stamps, bringing them firmly into the 21st century.