What Are QR Codes?

QR codes are 2D barcodes that can cram up to 4,000 characters into a tidy square. Invented in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Japanese company, they’ve evolved from factory floors to your favorite restaurant menu. They’re fast, scannable from any angle, and thanks to error correction, they still work even if part’s scratched up.

A Quick History

• 1994: Denso Wave’s Masahiro Hara creates QR codes to track car parts faster than old-school barcodes.
• 2000s: Camera phones catch on, and QR codes start popping up in Japan for ads and tickets.
• 2011: Google adds QR support to Android, pushing global adoption.
• 2020: Pandemic hits—restaurants ditch paper menus, and QR codes become a contactless king.
• Today: From crypto wallets to museum exhibits, they’re everywhere—even spinning on this page!

Why They Rock

Unlike barcodes (1D, 200 chars max), QR codes hold way more and scan instantly. They’re open-source too—Denso Wave never patented the tech, so anyone can make one. Want to dig deeper? Check these out:

• Wikipedia: QR Code - The full nerdy scoop.
• qrcode.com - Denso Wave’s official site.
• QR Code History - A quick read on their rise.
• QR Code Stats - Numbers on their boom (2023 data).