Elderly people in need of care and people with dementia can easily use The article is an interview with Mr. Takanori Usui, President of Hubbit Co. The article about "Hubbit Corporation, CEO, Mr. Takanori Usui" was published on Nov. 13, 2012. November 13, 2012

On November 13, 2024, the Tokyo Metropolitan Enterprise Location Advisory Center interviewed Mr. Takanori Usui, Representative Director of Hubbit Corporation, which has developed a communication tool that can be easily used by the elderly and people with dementia who need nursing care. The interview was published on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Corporate Location Consultation Center website on November 13, 2024.

Mr. Takanori Usui, Representative Director, Hubbit Co.

Realizing a "society where people can live their lives to the fullest no matter how old they are" through IT

As Japan's super-aging society advances, it is estimated that by 2025, one in three Japanese will be 65 or older, and one in five will be 75 or older, making nursing care issues, dementia risk, and end-of-life planning familiar concerns for everyone.

Against this backdrop, Hubbit Corporation of Shinagawa, Tokyo, has developed "Carebee," an easy-to-use communication tool for the elderly. With the mission of "realizing better end-of-life care through IT," the company aims to solve issues related to the end of life.

We interviewed Representative Director Takanori Usui about how the company started, its business, and the advantages of being located in Tokyo.

The starting point of the project was his own grandfather's terminal phase experience.

The reason why I started the business is because I experienced my grandfather's terminal phase. My grandfather was bedridden, and in the end he was unable to speak, and decisions about everything were made not by him but by my grandmother. I felt uncomfortable with his condition because I thought it was important for him to live with his own will. Then, when I saw the fingers of my grandfather's hand move, I thought that even though he could not speak, he could express his will in other ways."

Mr. Usui, who was working for Yahoo Japan Corporation at the time, began to think about how he could increase the means of communication by utilizing IT in his field of expertise.

When he submitted a project proposal for IT-enabled ending-related services to a new business competition within the company, it was unsuccessful just before the final presentation. That set my teeth on edge, so in 2016 I teamed up with an engineer friend to start a joint venture, but we dissolved it after a few years because I couldn't make up my mind to quit the company and make it my main business. After that, when I was being trained at a new company, a manager pushed me to start the project again."

After quitting his corporate job, Usui founded Hubbit Inc. in March 2019.

At first, I was developing products with an eye on IT for funerals, inheritance, and wills, but then I ran into the problem of elderly people not being able to use smartphones, so I started working on a product that bridges the digital divide, first by enabling elderly people to use IT.

Supporting Independence with a Communication Tool that Easily Connects with Family Members

Carebee, developed by the company, is an easy-to-use communication tool for the elderly and people with dementia who need nursing care.

Carebee is equipped with a call function that automatically connects with the user.

The most important feature of Carebee is that it requires almost no operation. Not only people with dementia but also the elderly may not be able to pick up the phone, but with Carebee, they can make calls while seeing their family members' faces, without having to operate the tablet. The camera can be turned on and off from the family member's smartphone, and there is also a subtitle function that displays text at the bottom of the screen. By showing text, understanding is facilitated, and even people who are hard of hearing or have cognitive impairment can use the system with peace of mind.

The camera arrives at the user's home with the initial settings completed, and can be used immediately by simply plugging it in and turning it on. There is no need to prepare the Internet. The reminder function, which periodically sends out messages to confirm medication and schedules, has also been well received.

Connections are made after a 10-second count,

You can talk with your family members.

Regular message delivery reminds them of things they tend to forget. When in trouble, a supporter can follow up with the user remotely.

Once they get used to it, even those with severe symptoms of dementia become familiar with it. People who didn't want to use the service, but when I visit them a month later, they say, 'Carebee has been very helpful to me for several years.

IT's job is to make sure that information is conveyed properly. I feel that IT will help to flatten the issues that arise from the time care is needed until the time of death, and I am confident that we will be able to move in a better direction.

Advantages of the Shinagawa/Tokyo Location: A Blessed Environment Where Solutions Can Be Obtained by Taking Action

The company's office is located at SHIP (Shinagawa Ward Shinagawa Industrial Support and Interchange Facility), an 8-minute walk from Osaki Station on the Yamanote Line. We asked the company about the advantages of the facility and the surrounding environment.

The open lounge at SHIP (Shinagawa Ward Shinagawa Industrial Support Exchange Facility), where the company will be located. There are 16 private offices, and tenants can also use the open lounge.

The private offices are available 24 hours a day, making it a comfortable environment where you can devote yourself to work without time constraints. Our services are in high demand in the local area and we are often on business trips, so we feel that the location near Shinagawa Station is also an advantage.

In addition, there are many other benefits to being located in Tokyo.

Most of the IT-related companies, tablet developers, OS developers, telecommunication carriers, etc., are headquartered in the city center, so it is easy to meet them in person, and it is also easy to make introductions through acquaintances. There are also an overwhelming number of events and study groups, and it is possible to solve problems by participating in them. Furthermore, venture capital is also concentrated in Tokyo. It is difficult for venture companies without money to go all the way to Tokyo, so I would say that Tokyo has an advantage in terms of fundraising.

Finally, we asked about future prospects.

Our goal is to expand Carevy's services nationwide and make it an infrastructure for the elderly in the later stages of life. Once that is accomplished, our next goal is to create a world view somewhere between nursing homes and home care, where people can live at home until the end of their lives, even if they need nursing care. We believe that combining the long-term care insurance system with Careby is not just a dream."