Do we still need QR codes?
A QR sticker is cheap and reliable, until it peels off. The asset itself already carries texture, geometry, markings and history. A guided phone camera can read that evidence, prove which asset it is, and track how its condition changes.
The sticker is not the asset
QR codes are cheap, universal and deterministic when they are readable. They also peel, fade, scratch, get dirty, land on the wrong asset or go missing.
Identity is not condition
Stable identity zones (casting grain, fastener pattern, nameplate, weld seams) decide which asset this is. Changing condition zones (corrosion, seals, paint, heat) feed the inspection record. A new scratch is a finding, not a new asset.
Why camera pose matters
Glare, angle and distance make one casting look like two. The phone guides the technician back to the enrolment angle and distance before it captures a short burst, so every comparison is fair.
How verification decides
Recognise the class, find the enrolled anchor, repeat the camera pose, capture a multi-frame burst, verify texture, geometry and OCR, split identity from condition, and return verified, needs confirmation or unknown from fixed, written-down rules.
How forensic labs already do this
Firearms and toolmark examiners separate class, subclass and individual characteristics, let a database rank candidates and report source identification, source exclusion or inconclusive. Fingerprint examiners analyse a latent print before comparing it and verify independently. Ground-off serial numbers can be restored because stamping deforms the metal beneath. Asset identity borrows the same structure: asset class, identical units, identity zones, and a three-way decision.
Where QR still earns its place
Distinctive assets: camera-led. Reflective assets: guided close-up plus serial OCR. High-value, regulated or identical assets: visual identity plus a second signal such as serial, NFC, RFID or Data Matrix.
In your Maximo today
Maximo Mobile already uses a barcode scanner to validate the asset being worked on. The integration map traces four scenarios (verify at the job, enrol, rebuild, no signal) through the work order, asset, inspection result, job plan and meter APIs of MAS 9.2. Evidence images travel as attachments, so attachment storage has to be configured first. What IBM says about Maximo Mobile.
Rebuilds and re-enrolment
Sandblasting, weld repair or a new casing changes the identity zones. A re-enrolment task on the rebuild job plan captures the new profile; the old one is retired and kept for audit.
Talk to a Maximo architect about camera-led asset validation for your Maximo.