Hello, I’m Takahiro Nobutoki — an IT professional with 30+ years of experience, currently employed at IBM Japan while running Michi, a smart home environment research project.

　Many people assume that smart home technology automatically delivers a comfortable living environment. I don’t think it’s that simple. Even when the numbers say “safe,” that doesn’t mean people feel at ease. Technology is just a tool. True comfort only emerges when objective data and human perception are examined together — and that’s exactly what this project sets out to prove, one day at a time.
Most of us spend the majority of our day indoors — yet few people stop to consider whether the air around them is actually safe. CO₂, VOCs, temperature and humidity. The health impacts of indoor air quality often go unnoticed simply because they’re invisible, quietly affecting the wellbeing of both people and pets. I’ve turned my own home into a living laboratory, using smart home technology to measure seven environmental indicators every single day. The data proves it: sensors and real-time monitoring can make the invisible visible — and put us back in control of our indoor environment. My goal is to bring these insights to society at scale, so that safe and comfortable living becomes the norm — not the exception.

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