What were QR codes originally designed for?
They were invented to track car parts, not restaurant menus.
The answer
QR (Quick Response) codes were invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara at the Japanese company Denso Wave to track automotive components during manufacturing. Unlike traditional barcodes that hold about 20 characters, QR codes can store over 7,000 characters using a two-dimensional matrix of black and white squares. Denso Wave deliberately chose not to enforce its patent rights, allowing free public use - a decision that enabled the codes' explosive adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic for contactless menus, payments, and health passes.
Source: Denso Wave
- QR codes
- Japan
- invention
- barcodes
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