Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science & Technology
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Recently, researchers from TU Wien and start-up Cerabyte created the world’s smallest QR code, earning a Guinness World Records title
- QR code – A quick response (QR) code is a type of barcode that can be scanned by a digital device and stores information as a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid.
- Types of QR Codes – Micro QR Code – Smaller than normal QR codes; used where space is limited (e.g., small products).
- Smallest size – 11 × 11 modules that store up to 21 characters.
- Model 1 QR Code – Early version (prototype) of QR codes.Stores up to 1,167 numbers.
- Model 2 QR Code – Improved and most commonly used version today.
- Has better alignment and higher data capacity.
- Can store up to 7,089 numbers (Version 40).
- iQR Code – Can be square or rectangular.
- Useful when shape or space is a constraint.
- SQRC (Secure QR Code) – Has a restricted access feature.
- Used for storing private or confidential information.
- Frame QR Code – Comes with a customizable frame.
- Can include images, logos, or illustrations along with data.
- Uses – In various applications, from supply chain management to digital payments to cryptocurrency wallet addresses.
World’s Smallest QR Code
- Size – Around 2 square micrometres (smaller than a bacterium).
- Nearly one-third the size of the previous record holder.
- Objective – To tackle “Data Rot” as the present storage devices (hard drives, magnetic tapes) last only 10–30 years.
- Require continuous power, cooling, and data transfer to new systems.
- Risk of long-term digital data loss.
- Features – Grid size – 29 × 29 pixels.
- Each pixel – 49 nanometres, which is smaller than the wavelength of visible light.
- Material used – 15 nm chromium nitride (ceramic coating).
- Technique – Focused Ion Beam (FIB) milling (atom-level carving).
- Verification – Using a Scanning Electron Microscope.
- Ceramic-Based Data Storage – Highly durable, heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and chemically inert.
- One A4-sized ceramic sheet can store over 2 TB of data.
- Information density – 130 bits per square micrometre.
- Data is etched physically; hence no power is needed for preservation and can potentially last for millennia.
Reference
TH | World’s Smallest QR Code
