tikhonov Aug 23, 2022 | flag

Great invention! A barcode can be seen as grandfather of modern QR-codes. Its introduction initiated series of inventions where for the same basic idea inventors just added new dimensions. For instance, regular QR-code can bee seen as two dimensional counterpart of a barcode. But inventors didn't stop there. Somebody added third dimension via color coding. It is interesting where this trend will end and how many dimensions can be added to flat QR-code?

arkadir Aug 23, 2022 | flag

https://divan.dev/posts/animatedqr/

Someone invented an animated QR-code format. If you film the animation long enough, you can download an arbitrarily large file.

vermorel Aug 23, 2022 | flag

Indeed, barcodes predate QR-codes, but QR-codes aren't necessarily superior. Information density comes as a tradeoff when it comes to the scanning apparatus and the need for ambient lighting. If you want to convey more information, then RFID is more appropriate than (hypothetic) higher dimensional barcodes. Alternatively, a QR-code is enough to encode a URL, and all the relevant information can be pulled from the internet instead of trying to cram the data into the label itself.

vermorel Aug 23, 2022 | flag
It is an object of the invention to provide automatic apparatus for classifying things according to photo-response to lines and/or colors which constitute classification instructions and which have been attached to, imprinted upon or caused to represent the things being classified.

Much of what makes the modern supply chain only become possible thanks to the widespread usage of the barcode technology. It's fascinating to see that the barcode predates mainframe computers which only started to get traction in the late 1950s.