They are usually small squares of black-and-white squiggles located on everything from event posters to retail shelves to hiking trails. QR codes are used to attract website traffic from geographic locations. Users simply scan the QR code with a smartphone or other mobile device and are navigated to a mobile page pertinent to that code’s location or advertised product.

 

The history of QR codes

The QR code was invented in 1994 by Denso-Wave, a Toyota subsidiary. It was used to track vehicles as they were assembled. The company still holds the patent on the technology, though they have made it available to all through a free license and even have published the spec online for use.