What the heck IS a QR code anyway?

Well, that is a QR Code.
And they are popping up everywhere. In magazine ads, on billboards, online, even on the weather channel for crying out loud! So what the heck are they, why am I seeing them all over the place, and how do they work?

Well, A QR code is a matrix code, also known as a two-dimensional (2D) bar code. They are the most popular type of 2D bar code, and were originally created by the Japanese Denso-Wave corporation in 1994 to track vehicle parts in the manufacturing process. The QR stands for Quick Response, and the bar code is so named because it allows its contents to be decoded at high speed.

The reason you are seeing them everywhere is because of the smart phone explosion. The software to decode and process the code is extremely lightweight and fast by design, which makes it ideal for mobile devices. It didn’t take long for cell phone manufacturers to take notice. In Japan, where the technology originated, nearly every current cell phone comes with a QR Scanner on it. In the United States, QR scanners come standard on both Android and Symbian smart phones, and there are free scanning apps available for the iPhone series. With the rapidly expanding availability of QR readers in the market, QR codes have become yet another marketing channel. The codes may contain anything from a URL to metadata aimed at existing applications on the phone.

For instance, take the weather channel QR code which appears in the image below. This QR code is shown periodically during their broadcast. Scan it with your android phone, and you will be redirected to a web site that will allow you to download and install the Weather Channel’s Android app.

QR codes work by providing three anchoring or positioning points as well as alignment and timing to the QR scanner. This allows the scanner to orientate the X and Y axis of the code so that the remaining data may be read in accurately.

While Denso-Wave owns patent rights to QR code technology, they have chosen not to enforce it. Anyone can make a QR Code scanner, and anyone can generate and print their own QR Code by visiting any number of free QR Code generating sites. This openess and freedom has allowed the QR code to quickly become the industry standard in 2D bar codes.