Category: QR Codes

Barcoded insects were followed with a computer to better understand their social structure.

The results of a recent study from researchers at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland have just been released, revealing a very unique use for QR codes, a form of barcode that is typically seen on product labels and in print advertising, not on the backs of insects.

A colony of ants had its members labeled so that their behaviors could be accurately tracked.

The research started with the application of QR codes to the backs of over one hundred ants within a lab. The paper containing the results of the study were published in the journal called Science. Within it, the Swiss researchers detailed their 41 days of tracking of the lives of the individual ants so that they could develop a better understanding of their social structure.

This is quite a unique use for QR codes, but is a part of an increasing trend to apply it to alternate uses.

The research used the QR codes to generate more than 2.4 billion readings, which produced a record of over 9.4 million different interactions among the ant colony members. When analyzed through a computer, it revealed that up to 40 percent of the worker ants had the specific activity of caring for the queen of the colony, as well as her babies that had just recently been born. Another 30 percent of the colony’s workers were recorded to have been responsible for colony housecleaning. The remaining 30 percent foraged for food to feed all of the ants.

What the QR codes allowed the researchers to determine was the progress of an individual ant’s life. They discovered through the barcodes that any single ant did not necessarily keep the same job throughout its entire lifetime. They progress from one task to the next as they age. Though the typical progression was from caretaker of the queen and her offspring, to cleaner, to forager for food, there was deviation among this trend as there were younger ants who foraged and older ones who were caretakers.

Without the QR codes, the researchers did not have any other way to examine the individual lives and social interactions of the ants. This way, they could monitor what they individuals did throughout their lives instead of watching the colony as a whole.

Nationwide Platforms, a rental company, has added the quick response barcodes for use by smartphone owners.

The rental company, Nationwide Platforms, has just announced that it has affixed QR codes to its equipment in order to make it easier for smartphone users to be able to lower the risk of emergency situations.

Though print documentation is already available, the barcodes are used to provide this and additional information.

QR codes were selected because they are now recognized by many people, and because the majority of individuals have a smartphone or tablet that is able to scan these barcodes in order to obtain the related info. Most of the fleet at Nationwide Platforms has already been fitted with its stickers, which provide a direct link to guidance to lower emergencies.

The QR codes are customized for each distinct equipment model or group of models across the United Kingdom.

Nearly all of the fleet’s units will have QR codes affixed to them by the end of the year, according to the plans of the program. This includes those that the business will purchase throughout 2013. The barcodes will be printed on stickers that are fitted directly onto the base of the machine.

Beyond using the QR codes as a type of practical tool, the company is hoping that this effort will also have a broader impact that will help to better the awareness surrounding the importance of becoming familiar with the safety procedures associated with the equipment.

Mark Keily, the QHSE director, stated that “Improving the way we manage welfare and wellbeing means improving the way we engage with all of those who come into contact with our products or services. With that in mind, we’re proud to have harnessed the power of technology to give our customers even more opportunities to get the guidance which could truly make a difference in an emergency situation.”

Similarly, Peter Douglas, the operations director, added to that statement, saying that using powered access is being increasingly recognized as among the most effective and safe techniques for functioning with the greatest levels worldwide. He said that as the market leader in the United Kingdom, it has become their purpose to add to and achieve greater safety accomplishments, be that through “innovation, investment, or simply taking the lead in making a difference.” QR codes fit into this strategy quite smoothly.