Friday, July 21, 2006

IBM Japan Develops Invisible 2D Barcode

Unless you know where to look for the code, what other applications will this be useful for besides authentication.

IBM Japan and Connect Technology have developed an invisible, two dimensional bar-code which can be be read by camera phones.

From JapanCorp IBM Japan and Connect Technology Use Invisible 2D Barcodes

IBM Japan in collaboration with Connect Technology has developed an electronic clipping system, which uses invisible 2D barcodes printed on paper to integrate information from paper and digital data such as information provided on Internet sites.



The new system adds an invisible digital layer to printed materials, enabling the printed materials to be used like a portable site.

Invisible 2D barcodes which store digital data are printed on paper using invisible ink. The barcodes are then extracted from the paper by an image processing application. Since invisible ink is used, 2D barcodes can be printed over paper prints, not restricted by original print designs and layouts.

Invisible barcodes can be printed on each magazine or paper article, allowing users to clip and buy articles instead of magazines and papers

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The concept is a very interesting one, but I don't see how it could possibly be used without a major revision to the camera phone's sensor -- at bare minimum, an infrared sensor would have to be introduced.

Given the difficulty getting cell phone OEMs even to introduce code reading software, much less changing their cameras in any way, this seems like a long shot. Perhaps at some later stage of the game, when PWC has already proved itself, this will be viable, and the sell will make sense.

Anonymous said...

Oops, I meant,

at bare minimum, an infrared FILTER would have to be introduced.


(But it's also possible, even likely, that a separate infrared sensor, with a good infrared filter over it, would have to be introduced to achieve any decent performance.)

Anonymous said...

Every digital camera (even cellphone camera's) can see inivisble ink. every camera is equiped with an infrared filter. However our camera's can still view some infrared light, just look at the led in the top of your remote control of your TV with a camera