Idea

A way to make invisible QR codes

Image credit: Pixabay

Contrived _voice Mar 02, 2022

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IDEA
A way to make QR codes invisible to humans but still recognizable by computers, they retain their utility while broadly increasing their practicality. Because you can't see them a red tag is placed next to it notifying you that there is a code there. It's basically a way to put QR codes on anything without taking away from its aesthetic
Applications
Prevent digital art theft. 
Vehicle registration. 
Product promotion
High fashion tests for authenticity
Everything else that QR codes do already
How it works.
The idea works on the basis of 4 key tennents. The first is analog neural network systems based on the 'Perceptron'     1957. The system has been improved greatly over the years      and  I think would be most appropriate because it allows for small error margins. The second is the way computers observe color assign each shade and hue a unique code          . The result is a mind-bending 16,777,216 different colors, some of these are just changes in hues are so minute they don't even make a difference in the big picture. Finally, the third is the mechanism behind the "Tolerance" feature in Clip Studio Paint. By lowering the tolerance, it is possible to distinguish pigmentation of individual pixels in a picture and perform actions on specific colored pixels.
Procedure 
Once a code is scanned, the tolerance feature finds the distinct color hues forming the signature square shape of the code and separates them from the rest of the image. The image is then processed by the network and converted into the closest possible square pigments and shaded black, essentially re-creating the code. Once this is done it reverts to normal QR processing software to guide you to the intended website.
Side notes.
I don't know the exact mechanics behind the 'tolerance' feature. I'm working on this based on how I personally use it.
 I realize that using a digital neural network and introducing an artificial error would serve the same purpose but I like analogue networks and think it fits right here. Both are valid though.

[1]https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/11/16/139049/machine-learning-meet-quantum-computing/

[2]https://www.eejournal.com/article/a-brave-new-world-of-analog-artificial-neural-networks-aanns/

[3]https://www.nixsensor.com/blog/what-is-rgb-color/#:~:text=The%20RGB%20color%20system%20is,%2C%20computer%20monitors%2C%20and%20smartphones.

[4]R. W. G. Hunt (2004). The Reproduction of Colour (6th ed.). Chichester UK: Wiley–IS&T Series in Imaging Science and Technology. ISBN 0-470-02425-9.

artificial intelligence improvement programming

Creative contributions

Different ink for QR code stamping

jnikola Mar 03, 2022

Idea
To use ink of the same color, but with different physical or chemical properties to print out the QR code on objects.
Why?
To make the QR codes while not affecting the design of the product.
To avoid fading of the hues mentioned in this contribution 
How would it work?
Fluorescent/UV Ink             
Printing the design and than adding the transparent UV ink-printed QR code on it - additional print of the desired QR code onto the object 
Printing the design with printers that use CMYK cartridges along with a UV ink cartridge - include the QR in the initial design of the object
It would work like shown in the examples here.
Ink with different refractive index
Refractive index is a number that describes how fast does the light pass through the material, or in other words, how much of the path of the light will be bent/refracted     . Since we know many different materials and methods how to measure refractiveindex, we should be able to use it for invisible QR printing. Actually, a team of researchers already did it and described the technique in these words: "A printed invisible ink pattern leaves a thin coating on the surface with different refractive index for different wavelengths of light, which results in color dispersion or absorption difference." What we need to think of here is a simple camera or a device that can detect the text of a different refraction index.
Can you think of any other "inks" that can help making QR codes invisible?

[1]https://www.inkcups.com/inkjet-printing-supplies/uv-ink/

[2]https://www.healthyprinting.eu/uv-printing/#:~:text=UV%20curable%20inks%20were%20created,non%2Dabsorbent%20surfaces%20like%20plastics.

[3]https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/UV-invisible-ink-Fluorescent-ink-transparent_1163538402.html

[4]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractive_index

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Contrived _voice3 years ago

What about sewing? Instead of printing, what if you sew the pattern on the material. You could do it in the same color as the shirt but it would affect how light bounces off by altering texture. You could make a program to recreate the code based on the small shadows cast by the raised surface and then redirect you to the website

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jnikola3 years ago

Contrived _voice the idea sounds cool, but not so invisible. The thread must be extremely thin I suppose.

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Fading problem

jnikola Mar 02, 2022

Would the hue-based system of QR code scanning be very sensitive to changes of hues due to light? Objects and ink exposed to the sun for longer periods tend to fade. If the object has a texture or is positioned under different angles compared to the sun, it could result in unequal fading of the color on the surface of the object. The same could happen during the washing of the clothes (fashion clothes), car crashes (car register plates), etc. If that happens in the place where the QR code is, we could lose some of the hues and the code would not work. 

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Contrived _voice3 years ago

I think with the sun, the problem solves itself. the fade may be unequal but the color will be proportional. You will still be able to read the code since it's independent of the color used As long there is a change in hue, it still works. Using heat presses and screens for printing on these clothes would also make them last longer than vinyl or sublimation prints.
Car crashes are a bit harder. But I think there could be a work around. Put the code on the roof of the car? yeah, you got me there, I don't have a fix for that yet

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jnikola3 years ago

Contrived _voice I am not sure that the color would be proportional. Imagine a bottle of juice with an invisible QR code standing in the sun. Sun hits the bottle under a certain angle and one part of the QR code faded more than the other. Suddenly, along with the printed difference in hue, there is a difference due to the different exposure to the sun (something similar happened to this sign, for example). 
I just raised a concern, but I still think the idea is great. I guess only turning it real will tell us if it's sustainable and convenient to use. 

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Contrived _voice3 years ago

J. Nikola nice example, I happen to know someone who is working on software for a dashcam, He said it could read traffic signs  so I asked him to run the image through it and see if it could recognize it
It could.
But this is simple since it has a definite shape, I think a QR code would be harder since even one pixel off could change the target website.
It was a fun exercise though.