A Methodology to Read QR Codes on Uneven Surfaces

Sometimes, we try to capture a QR code with a good digital camera on a smartphone, but the reading eventually fails. This usually happens when the QR code itself is of poor image quality, or if it has been printed on surfaces that are not flat — deformed or with irregularities of unknown pattern — such as the wrapping of a courier package or a tray of prepared food. Now, a team from the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has designed a methodology that facilitates the recognition of QR codes in these physical environments, where reading is more complicated.