A mosaic of unintelligible information screens the facade of a building in a Tokyo shopping district. The building is a multi level retail centre and the language? Something called a
QR code.
Some might say they're ugly. But I think they're freaking cool. A QR code is basically a barcode designed for mobile phones to scan and transform into layers of information. They're everywhere in Tokyo. Every modern Japanese phone comes with the ability to read them. They're part of the landscape
Now even more so. Because with the face of this building as a physical interface, anyone on the street can interact with the building and the information stored in the code. And this is something quite new.
See, these codes used to be simple - directing people to a business card of information, a website or an advertisement. But with Augmented Reality in full swing, they're opening the world up to a whole new level of communication.
It means anyone can get info about the retail outlets, the people and the things happening inside the building from street level.
It doesn't stop there. An iPhone app means that you are able to see other info, like whether you have friends in the building, information about the retail stores or follow twitter conversationsinside, in real time. As the video below shows.
It is interesting to me to see the potential for QR codes in enabling instant access to augmented reality style info at a particular location. From shopping, to tourism the applications for this style of communication are potentially endless.
I'd be super keen to see QR codes finally kick off in New Zealand. They've been around for quite some time in Japan, and with the uptake of smartphones I think it is entirely possible the QR code thing could kick off. Especially for a company like Telecom or Vodafone.
It's not hard to get an application that enables your phone to read them, especially with something like the iPhone.
In fact, I think there is an ideal opportunity there to develop something special to introduce New Zealanders to the qr code, in partnership with one of our Telcos.
Why Not? It's 2010 after all. I think we've been lagging behind far too long.
Via:
