Wearable QR technology that earns its place on a wrist, badge or sleeve

A QR code on a wristband or badge is cheap to print and easy to scan. That's exactly why it gets added to things that don't need it. This section is about the wearables that earn their place: event wristbands that point to a ride home, volunteer badges that show a role and a supervisor's number, and labels that help reunite a lost bag or a lost person with the right people.

We cover the practical side too. Fixed codes versus editable ones that redirect through a service. Fabric, vinyl and silicone, and how each survives sweat, sun and a washing machine. Code size and contrast, so a scan works from arm's length in poor light. And what the wearer can change, hide or switch off after the code is printed.

We read the tech press so you don't have to sort the useful from the gimmicks, and the headlines below are part of that. When a product sounds clever, our first question is still the same one: who does this help, and who can see what it shows?