Panasonic LED signs beam data to phones 5 meters away

Panasonic has developed LCD signs that can beam ID codes linked to ads and other information to smartphone cameras that are 5 meters away or farther.  It's promoting the technology as an advance beyond QR codes, which require users to hold their phones close to a code when scanning it, as well as a high-speed form of communications using light. The Hikari ID technology is based on ID signals sent by LEDs that form the backlight of LCD signage. The LEDs flicker on and off at a rate that is imperceptible to the human eye, but it can be picked up by smartphone camera sensors.