A NEW KIND OF BAR CODE
This led to the invention of 2-D, or two-dimensional, bar codes in Japan. They were first used in the 1990s to track the production of automobiles. A 2-D bar code consists of shapes in both a vertical and a horizontal pattern. Like 1-D bar codes, 2-D bar codes are black and white. Each shape or combination of shapes provides information. This allows a 2~D bar code to hold over a hundred times more information than a 1~D bar code. Like 1-D bar codes, each 2-D bar code is unique. However. the complex pattern requires a powerful scanner to read and analyze the information. Modern smartphones and tablet computers scan the bar codes and download the information.