The insertion of executable programs within QR codes is a new enabling technology for many application contexts in everyday life. Every time Internet access is unavailable, QR code usage is limited to reading the data it contains without any possibility of interaction. With the new eQR code technology, based on advanced techniques of formal languages and translators, it is possible to include highly-compact executable programs within them, guaranteeing a remarkable level of interaction with the user, despite the strict limitations of QR codes in terms of storage capacity (max. 3 Kbytes).
An example of application that can benefit from the proposed technology is found in the context of Alpine routes, where eQR codes can be integrated in special signposts to guide the user in choosing the best route according to its own characteristics. Many other application contexts have been also identified.
Currently, eQR codes are the only existing technology that allows executable programs to be inserted within ordinary QR codes. Since the runnable code contained in eQR codes is customized to the specific application context, they represent both a valuable enabling technology and an exciting opportunity to embed intelligence within an object and make it interactively usable, even when the Internet is unavailable. For example, the network may be absent in isolated contexts like mountains, the sea, and developing countries, but also in hospitals and restaurants in cities such as Milan, where the shielding of buildings prevents optimal signal propagation. The CNR research group possesses the know-how to adapt eQR technology to new application contexts (concrete examples can be provided on request) while maintaining the main objective of minimizing QR code storage capacity.