I had a somewhat similar idea (which never materialized) where the sender would print QR codes (or something else) on a long paper roll (like those used for receipts in stores), which would then be scanned on the other end. The idea was about being about to visualize things like a ping or a TCP session progressing between computers.

If anyone wants to steal the idea, please go for it! And send me a link to the video when you're done. :)