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Hands free mobile ticketing piloted at COSI

Columbus (Ohio), Nov 12, 2021 – Today, the COSI (Center of Science & Industry) became the first science museum to pilot hands-free ticketing using Internet of Things (IoT) technology. This pilot was the joint effort of COSI, the Metro Early College Middle school, and ZED Digital an Ohio-based technology company that invented hands-free ticketing and entry authentication technology called ZIG (www.izig.app).


The pilot demonstrated a cashless, touchless, and queue-less experience for visitors entering COSI. Eighth graders from the Metro School participated in the pilot by installing the ZIG mobile app on their smartphones, pre-purchasing COSI tickets, and a free drink. Upon entering COSI, the ZIG app automatically connected with and validated the mobile tickets on the student’s smartphones as they neared the ticketing desk, without the need for scanning their phones.


A display showed details on the approaching student including the name and number of tickets, allowing for speedy entry to the museum. In addition, the solution provided real-time information to a concession stand where the server could see the beverage preferences of the approaching student and have their order ready.


The pilot program allowed Metro students to work with entrepreneurs on a real-world demonstration of smart technologies in event ticketing and guest experiences. It provided an end-to-end experience from a mobile app on smartphones to IoT authentication and validation, with a built-in reward of a COSI visit as part of the experience.


"Metro schools and COSI are both innovators in the areas of science and technology. This was a great opportunity to showcase how our technology creates a frictionless guest experience, and give the students an experiential learning opportunity,” said Sumithra Jagannath, President of ZED Digital.


ZIG offers smart ticketing and queue-less entry validation to public venues. This pilot at COSI demonstrated the application of the hands-free ticketing and entry authentication for public venues. Venues can subscribe to ZIG by paying a subscription fee to receive the plug-and-play ZIG sensors. Once the sensors are installed at their venues, the sensors will automatically be connected to the ZIG app on user phones, allowing contactless payment and queue-less entry capabilities.


2 years of proven success

Headquartered in Columbus, OH, ZED Digital has been a nationwide leader in developing Smart Environment technology using the Internet of Things. ZED introduced the first-ever hands-free ticketing on public transportation starting in 2018 and has since enabled over 100,000 essential workers to purchase and validate bus tickets without lineups and without touching bus surfaces.


ZED Digital has been widely recognized for this technology including the 2019 Innovative Solutions award by the Metro Magazine, 2021 Smart Business Awards, and recognized among the top 3 worldwide in digital ticketing in the 2021 Digital Ticketing Technology of the Year awards.

Besides contactless ticketing and queue-less entry, the ZIG app provides way-finding and trip planning to venues and is available for free download on the Apple Store and Google Play. Visit https://izig.app/ for more information.

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By John | November 12 | Press Release