fluidwireEvery QR code you scan traces back to a 1994 car factory. Engineer Masahiro Hara at Denso Wave (a Toyota subsidiary) needed to track auto parts faster than barcodes allowed, so he designed a 2D code readable from any angle. The three corner squares use a rare 1:1:3:1:1 black-and-white ratio that scanners lock onto instantly. Denso Wave kept the patent but never enforced it, which is why QR codes went everywhere. More at fluidwire.com
