Bokode

What could possibly replace the ubiquitous barcode? The new Bokode might be able to. Bokode is a new camera based interaction solution where an ordinary camera can detect small optical tags from a relatively large distance. The design exploits the bokeh effect of ordinary cameras lenses, which maps rays exiting from an out of focus scene point into a disk like blur on the camera sensor.
Bokodes open up a whole new range of applications in the areas of tagging, user interaction, machine vision and near field communication not possible with traditional barcodes. For example, it can be used in street mapping services such as Google Streetview: shops use Bokodes to provide meta information to the trucks as they drive down the street taking pictures.