QR Code

technology · codes · shortcuts

Invented for cars. A Japanese engineer named Masahiro Hara created QR codes in 1994 to label car parts quickly. The name means 'quick-response' because they're super fast to scan and read.

Black and white squares. QR codes are made of tiny black and white squares arranged in a grid. Your phone's camera reads the pattern of light and dark to figure out what information is hidden inside.

Guides in corners. Each QR code has special marker squares in three corners that help cameras know how to read it, even if the code is turned sideways or at an angle.

Super smart mistake-fixer. QR codes use special math called Reed-Solomon error correction that lets them work even if part of the code is dirty, torn, or covered up. They can still be read correctly!

Two-way reading power. QR codes store information both horizontally and vertically, which means they can pack way more data into a smaller space than regular barcodes.