QR code, which we see everywhere today, has become an important part of our everyday life. Whether it is digital payment, information about a product, a link to a website, or the use of any other digital service, QR codes have made our digital world simple and accessible. In this era of smartphones, the digital revolution has grown at a rapid pace due to QR codes and today this technology has become an integral part of our lives.

What is a QR code and its full form?

The full form of the QR code is the "Quick Response" code. It was developed by the Japanese company Denso Wave in 1994, and it was specially designed to scan and access information quickly. In this code, a lot of information is hidden in small black-and-white square boxes that can be easily read with a smartphone or any other scanner.

How does a QR code work?

QR code is a 2D code, which stores information in a matrix format. In this, the information is set both horizontally and vertically, which makes it capable of storing more data than a barcode. When we focus our smartphone's camera on the QR code, the inbuilt QR scanner, or QR scanning app in the camera decodes it and gives us access to that information immediately.

Many types of information like URLs, text, email addresses, and phone numbers can be stored in the QR code. For digital payments, the QR code contains details like bank account information, UPI ID, or virtual payment address which makes the payment process easier.

The increasing importance of QR codes in our lives

In the era of smartphones, QR codes have provided great convenience in our lives. Due to this, many earlier time-consuming processes, are now completed instantly. What are these facilities, let's take a look-

Digital Payment: QR codes have made a big contribution to digital payment. Be it a petrol pump, grocery store, or restaurant, today payment can be made instantly by scanning the QR code at most places. Making payments with a QR code is not only safe but it has also reduced the need for cash transactions, which frees people from hassles.

Product information: QR codes are also used to know the information of products. By scanning the QR code on the packaging of a product, its quality, manufacturing date, and other information can be seen immediately.

Contactless services: The use of QR codes in contactless services has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of QR codes has increased for facilities like viewing menus in restaurants, checking in at hotels, and booking appointments for doctors.

Visiting cards and social profiles: Many professionals now use QR codes on their visiting cards. As soon as this code is scanned, the person's social media profile or website opens, making networking easier.

Future of QR code

The utility of QR codes is going to increase even more in the coming times. Through this, new facilities can be provided in e-commerce, healthcare, education, and entertainment. For example, in the healthcare sector, patients' medical histories can be accessed quickly through QR codes. Similarly, in education, links to notes, videos and projects can be provided to students through QR codes.