A zoo, a place of relaxation that heals the hearts of visitors, both now and in the past. Familiar animals entertain visitors such as families. What happens if the latest technology is suddenly introduced one day in this space that seems to have nothing to do with technology? It was Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe and a 3-year-old boy who unexpectedly experienced it. On this day, the three who came to see the newly unveiled baby panda came to the entrance of the zoo with a large arch just after 10 am, just after the opening of the park. Then, while chatting, I passed through the gate. Enter the park without payment

His wife notices and asks Mr. Watanabe. "Hey, I haven't paid for it, is that okay? Other people are lined up." If you look at it, many people line up at the ticket office, buy tickets from vending machines, and enter the park one after another. The three entered the park leisurely with such a procession sideways. What I went through was "a lane exclusively for those who have the official app" Smart ZOO "installed." Of course, there were a certain number of people who entered the park in the same lane, but there was no congestion as they just passed through the gate.

The three technology families that are making noise in the media right now are definitely AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (Internet of Things), and Fintech (Fintech. finance, a coined word from the United States that means the fusion of IT). Let's go. These words are so pervasive that anyone can talk to them, but it's doubtful that they know exactly what they are. AI is comparing wisdom with humans in Go and Shogi, IoT is a convenient function that allows you to check what ingredients are in the refrigerator even when you are away from home, and FinTech is a technology that will realize the coming cashless era. That's what most people understand. It's not a mistake, of course, but it's just a glimpse of each technology. However, it is also difficult to fully express these technologies. Because these technologies are unpredictable "monsters" that are undergoing explosive evolution with undefinable potential even for those involved in development. There are other technologies that should be captured in that category. AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), drones, or the cloud. 3D printers and big data also occupy a corner. And we cannot forget that payment (payment) is the basic technology that supports them. At the moment we enjoy all the technologies as services, some kind of payment is running. The technology is also evolving at a terrifying speed, although it is not usually noticed.

Now, let's go back to the Watanabe family. The "admission fee problem" has not been resolved, but a fun day has begun. Since the necessary items were entered in advance entry, the inside of the park follows the model route recommended by "Smart ZOO" using AI based on the animals you want to see, the location of the garden, the temperature, the weather, the age of the visitors, etc. I decided to go around.

When I checked yesterday, I was supposed to go to see the panda first, but because the conditions changed, I recommended that I go to see the giraffe first. Looking at the comments displayed, it seems that the number of visitors who went straight to the panda building at the same time as the opening of the park was concentrated, and if you head now, you will have to wait 20 minutes or more to reach the baby panda. Even so, depending on the input conditions, the route to see the panda may have been recommended first, but Mr. Watanabe considered the child and set the allowable waiting time within 5 minutes. That seems to have an effect. On the way to the giraffe's breeding house, which was relatively close to the entrance, a push notification was displayed about 100 meters away. If you look at it, it says, "We are currently offering special ice cream to customers who have seen giraffes at the rest house!" When Mr. Watanabe checked the map of the app's garden, it seemed that there was a rest house near the giraffe's garden, and ice cream was sold there. It is programmed to recommend animal-related products near the rest house, and when a visitor approaches the animal's kennel, a notification tailored to that animal will be displayed. The temperature in the park is already 30 degrees. Certainly I feel like eating something cold.

Visitors are captured by the disposable IC chips attached to the app or stickers distributed at the time of admission and sensors and cameras installed in various places in the park, and information based on this is appropriately transmitted to the users of the app. It is a mechanism to do. Naturally, the information is useful for dynamic analysis of visitors and is also used for guidance to alleviate congestion.

The giraffe-patterned ice cream using lemon sorbet and chocolate was very delicious, and I could see the giraffe without stress. The child is very satisfied. Moreover, I was getting a giraffe stamp at the stamp rally of the app, so I got a 50 yen discount automatically. payment was completed in a wallet with a string. In this way, AI can send comments according to the temperature and weather and answer questions to visitors through the chat function of the application, which can be expected to increase sales of shops near the entrance and three rest houses in the park. Moreover, by accumulating data, more effective measures can be taken. Being able to carry out these marketing without allocating resources such as keeper more than necessary should help increase the value of the main business.

Technology is also working everywhere in the zoo. One of them is that even when an animal is not in a cage due to illness or injury, you can see a healthy figure in AR by holding your smartphone over it. This also applies to animals that are popular and are constantly exposed to the eyes of visitors. AI monitors the load status of animals coefficient, suspends the release of animals with increasing numbers, and responds with AR during that time. AI will immediately prepare a B plan such as recommending another route, asking visitors who have incorporated the animal into the route to understand "to reduce stress on the animal". This is, of course, for animals, and is part of the zoo's BCP (Business Continuity Plan), which has the key message of "living with animals."

By the way, how did the Watanabe family pay the entrance fee? In fact, I chose the "on-demand billing" method that is unique to this zoo, and after leaving as much as I enjoyed, I went to payment. With this method, unlike the conventional flat-rate payment, there is no waste even if the child gets stuck and can't help or get stuck in front of the animal he likes. In addition to such convenience, it can be said that the payment matches the modern intention of "paying an impressive price".

"On-demand billing" zoos don't really exist. But even with fascinating technologies that will drive the era, whether it's AI, IoT, or fintech, it comes with technology that pays for cash points appropriately and smartly: good payments. Without it, it will not be a business. The best combination of technology and the payments that support it will continue to make an impact on the times. I would like to continue to pay attention to the birth of new trends.