QR codes are not just for marketing or social promotion. There is a more somber aspect to the codes that is rarely seen. The codes originated in Japan as a way to keep track of inventory, but before they became the mobile marketing tool they are today, the codes were used in cemeteries to provide information regarding the recently deceased. This same concept is being incorporated in Seattle, Washington, by Quiring Monuments Inc.
Quiring Monuments is a leading designer of headstones for memorials and monuments throughout the U.S. Owner Dave Quiring had been exploring different methods at making interactive gravestones for years before stumbling upon QR codes. After attempting to utilize many expensive and temperamental technologies, the codes proved to be just what he was looking for.
Quiring is embedding the codes on headstones as a grave marker made from a plastic-metal composite. When scanned, the codes resolve to a mobile website containing information on the deceased, such as name and date of birth and death. The codes can also be made exclusive to family members, enabling them to leave comments or pictures on the website when they come to pay their respects.
The company has already sold 15 of what they are calling “living headstones.” Quiring believes that the codes will be around for several generations before they are replaced by better technology.
QR codes have a multitude of uses. It seems that a new way to use the codes is discovered every day.
