Learn the history of QR codes – from their invention at Toyota Group to their global applications. Discover how they surpass barcodes and revolutionize business and everyday life.
Why and for what purpose were QR codes created?
Before the invention of QR codes, traditional barcodes were used to mark products, parts, and packaging, facilitating sales at checkout counters and inventory management in industries. Information encoded in barcodes also helped track items from production to sale. However, the limitations of one-dimensional barcodes became apparent with the development of more flexible production systems in the 1990s. Barcodes could only store 85 characters or about 20 alphanumeric characters. To store and track more detailed information, manufacturers had to use multiple barcodes on a single product, which slowed down and complicated production processes. Additionally, barcodes required scanning in a specific direction, which was problematic for parts and products with different shapes and sizes.
The same issue with barcodes was encountered at Toyota Group, but engineers working at Toyota decided to solve this problem. The creation of QR codes was also aimed at increasing the efficiency of Toyota's production processes by enabling faster and more precise tracking of parts in the supply chain.
Who invented and created QR codes?
The Japanese company Denso Wave, a part of the Toyota Group, undertook the task of solving barcode problems. In 1992, Denso Wave approached its research and development department to improve the barcode system, which was causing more and more problems and presenting additional limitations. In 1993, during a lunch break, Masahiro Hara – an engineer at Denso Wave – playing the traditional game Go, noticed that a two-dimensional grid might be the key to improving barcodes. Watching the black-and-white patterns on the Go board, Hara had the idea to create a code that could store more information than a traditional barcode. This insight became pivotal in the development of the QR code.
By the way: Go is an ancient strategic board game originating in China, which spread to Japan and became very popular there. The game involves placing black and white stones on a 19x19 grid, with the objective of capturing territory by surrounding empty spaces and blocking the opponent. The structure of the board and the way the stones are placed resemble geometric patterns, which inspired Hara to develop a new code that could store data in two dimensions – both horizontally and vertically.
The team led by Masahiro Hara consisted of just two people. Their biggest challenge was developing a way to scan 2D codes as quickly as possible. The problem was detecting the location of the code by scanners – unlike barcodes, QR codes required a system that allowed for fast detection.
Hara came up with the idea of adding a positioning pattern placed in three corners of the code. This allowed scanners to quickly locate the code and read it at high speed. Designing the shape of the pattern was challenging – similar figures could cause incorrect readings. The team conducted detailed analyses of arious printed materials (flyers, magazines, cartons), examining the ratios of black-and-white areas. Eventually, they discovered that the best ratio, which was not commonly found in printed materials, was 1:1:3:1:1. Thus, the characteristic positioning pattern was developed, enabling scanning of the code from any angle.
After a year and a half of intense research and testing, in 1994, the QR Code system was developed, capable of storing approximately 7,000 characters and supporting characters such as Japanese Kanji and Kana (barcodes do not have this capability). The QR code can store a vast amount of information and is more than ten times faster to read than other codes.
The new codes quickly gained popularity in the automotive industry, and their ability to store more information led to their adoption in marketing and retail, improving data management and logistics.
What does the term "QR code" mean?
QR stands for "Quick Response" because the code can be scanned and read quickly using appropriate devices.
Global dissemination of the QR code standard
QR codes became an official ISO standard in 2000 (ISO/IEC 18004).
To accelerate the global spread of QR codes, Denso Wave made the technology available under a public license.
Despite early success in the industry, QR codes were not widely adopted by consumers until 2002, when the first smartphones with QR scanning apps hit the market. From that point, developers began creating more applications that enabled QR code scanning on mobile devices.
In 2014, on the 20th anniversary of the QR code’s invention, Masahiro Hara and his team became the first Japanese recipients of the prestigious European Inventor Award, granted by the European Patent Office. This recognition underscored the global significance of their innovation.
However, the breakthrough for QR codes came with the inclusion of a native QR code reader in the iOS and Android systems in 2017, which made the technology widely accessible to users around the world.
Summary: Advantages of QR codes over barcodes
(table of key differences between barcodes and QR codes)
Fun fact - Masahiro Hara’s personal approach to innovation
Masahiro Hara emphasizes the importance of drawing inspiration from everyday experiences and hobbies. He believes that relaxation and an open mind are key to generating innovative ideas. His own experiences, such as playing Go, are a perfect example of this.If you want to find out whether QR codes will replace barcodes, check out our article: (link).
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