QR Codes

Last update: December 18th, 2023

A QR code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device (such as a camera) and processed using Reed-Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. The required data are then extracted from patterns present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image.

A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan in 1994 by Denso Wave.

Although initially used for tracking parts, the QR Code system has become popular outside the automotive industry due to its fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. Applications include product tracking, item identification, time tracking, document management, general marketing, and much more, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile-phone users (termed mobile tagging), thanks the large QR Reader Apps, available for all devices or operating systems (Apple iOS, Google Android or Amazon Kindle, among others).

In this way, QR codes may be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user's device, to compose an e-mail or text message, or to open a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), like a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), frequently referred to informally as a web address, like we do with the Kience myHealth Code in order to access to user's public Personal Health Cloud (PHC), for emergency use.