MIT Media Lab unveils NewsFlash, a possible QR code alternative

MIT’s Media Lab has recently cooked up something dubbed NewsFlash. Similar to QR codes, what NewsFlash does is that it uses your smartphone’s camera to scan and will bring up the relevant information on your screen. However the difference between NewsFlash and QR codes is that NewsFlash will rely on high-frequency red and green lights that are otherwise not visible by the human eye, but can be detected by your smartphone’s camera. This will do away with the need for publications or advertisements to place a QR code on its post.

One of the examples given was the ability for the user to scan a newspaper in a foreign language from its website and have it translated into English on their smartphone. The app can then be interacted with like any regular app. At the moment NewsFlash remains a concept but considering that this could be an alternative to QR codes, we wouldn’t be surprised if it got picked up and put to use in real world situations in the future. In the meantime check out the video above taken by the folks at Engadget for a demonstration.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, Concepts