MamoriProposal

Proposal · concept only · for discussion

Let’s build Mamori together, step by step.

Mamori is a concept for a small tabletop device for an older relative’s home in Japan. It is designed to offer a help button, read the room air, speak to the person at home, work over a SIM even without home Wi-Fi, and keep its microphone off unless you can see that it is on. There is no camera. This page proposes how your company and we could take it from concept to a pilot with families.

1 · The problem and who it is for

Living alone, with family far away

An older relative lives on their own at home in Japan. Family lives in another city, or another country. If something happens, how would anyone know? Is the room comfortable? And how do we stay close without watching?

29.4%

of Japan’s population was aged 65 or over in the 2025 census, a record.

Source: Kyodo (via Bernama), 2025 census results.

9.33 million+

people aged 65 or over live alone, a record.

Source: Health Ministry survey, reported by Nippon.com.

400

older Japanese adults in a 2023 survey: cameras and microphones met more resistance than environmental sensors such as temperature or door sensors. Exact percentages were not found.

Source: 2023 survey, published on PMC (article PMC10305305).

$6.2–7.4bn

Global personal emergency response systems (PERS) market in 2025. Sources disagree, so this is a range, not one figure.

Sources: Future Market Insights, 2026 ($6.2bn); Fortune Business Insights ($6.32bn); Global Info Research ($7.38bn).

Japan-only market size: not found. Several figures above come from news reports or search summaries, not the original documents.

For the older person at home

A calm object on a shelf: one help button, a voice that can speak to them, plain notes about the room, and a light ring with one word that shows when the microphone could be on. Nothing that films them.

For the family far away

An alert if the button is pressed, an optional possible-fall alert (a design target), optional short notes about the room, and an optional call, all through one paired family node. Designed to help them notice, not to watch.

2 · The product

A small, soft object, with no camera

Version 2 of the concept. Everything here is design intent, not a tested result.

Concept render of the Mamori device: a soft, rounded, white fabric-covered cube on a taller light-oak base, a round status disc on the front with a green light ring and the word Private, and a small round help button on top Close-up concept render of the front: fine white fabric texture, the round status disc with a green light ring and the word Private, and the light-oak base below
  • Shape: a soft, rounded, white fabric-covered cube on a taller light-oak base, about 90 mm across. Tabletop.
  • Status disc: a round disc on the front with a light ring and one word: “Private” in green (mic off), “Mic on” in amber (listening or in a call), “Help called” in red. No rectangular screen.
  • Help button: a small round button on top.
  • It speaks: a speaker and a voice assistant, with an on-device wake word and cloud speech. With the shutter closed it cannot listen, but it can still speak alerts.
  • Mic shutter with LED: a small shutter on the side covers the mic and is designed to cut its power; the mic LED is designed to sit on the mic’s power line.
  • SIM cellular and Wi-Fi: LTE-M or LTE Cat-1 for Japan, so it is designed to work without home Wi-Fi; Wi-Fi as well.
  • Wi-Fi sensing, built in: Wi-Fi channel-state sensing of motion, designed to flag a possible fall: a target to be validated in the pilot; not a medical device. A partner’s separate sensor becomes optional.
  • No camera and no image sensor anywhere, as a design spec.
Concept render of the Mamori device on a light wooden shelf in warm light, next to a stack of books and a mug: a white fabric-covered cube on a light-oak base, with a small round help button on top and a round status disc on the front showing a green light ring and the word Private

Five things it is designed to do

  • 1 Emergency warning

    One help button, a local alarm

    A press would sound an alarm in the room, turn the light ring red and show “Help called” on the status disc. If a family node is paired, it would send an alert there too, over Wi-Fi or the SIM.

    Limit: only helps if the button can be reached. It is not an emergency service and no response is promised.

  • 2 Living signals

    Room air, in plain words

    PM2.5, CO2 and VOC, temperature and humidity, shown as simple notes like “air looks stale” or “room is cold”.

    Limit: room air readings, not health measurements.

  • 3 Possible-fall alert (target)

    Wi-Fi sensing, built in

    Mamori would sense motion in the room through Wi-Fi channel-state sensing, with no camera. It is designed to flag a possible fall: a target to be validated in the pilot; not a medical device. A flag would go as an optional alert to the paired node. A partner’s separate sensor becomes optional.

    Limit: not validated. It may miss real events or raise false alarms, and it depends on the room and the setup.

  • 4 Optional call

    Talk to family, visibly

    Designed to call a paired family device over home Wi-Fi or the SIM, only with the shutter open. The light ring would pulse amber and the disc would say “Mic on” during a call.

    Limit: needs a Wi-Fi or mobile network link. Not an emergency call line.

  • 5 Full privacy

    No camera. A light you can check.

    No camera and no image sensor. The shutter is designed to cut the mic’s power, and the mic LED is designed to sit on the mic’s power line, so no light would mean no mic. With the shutter closed it cannot listen, but it can still speak alerts. The wake word would run on the device; speech would go to the cloud only after the wake word, with the shutter open. Sound would not be stored. Raw air readings stay in the home.

    Limit: the circuit would need an independent check before anyone relies on it. Cloud speech means spoken requests leave the home. A partner’s optional sensor is a separate device with its own privacy terms.

Honest limits, in short: a concept, not a product. Not tested, not a medical device, and no medical claim. The possible-fall alert is a design target, not validated: it may miss real events or raise false alarms, and it depends on the room and the setup. Alerts need power and a working Wi-Fi or mobile network link. Cloud speech needs a network. Air sensors would need calibration. Mamori is a working name and has not been trademark-checked.

3 · Build steps

From concept to launch, one gate at a time

Each step ends with a clear decision. We only move on when both sides agree the step is done.

Indicative, to be agreed together. Not a commitment.

  1. 1Step 1

    Now

    Concept

    What happens
    The idea, the five points, the privacy rules, concept renders, brand direction and this page. Shared with your company for discussion.
    What decides moving on
    We agree together that the idea is worth a prototype, and agree the scope of that prototype.

  2. 2Step 2

    About 3–4 months

    Prototype

    What happens
    Working units of the device and a simple family app, with the speaker and voice assistant, plus prototypes of the SIM cellular link and the built-in Wi-Fi sensing. The privacy circuit (mic LED on the mic’s power line, shutter cutting power) is checked independently.
    What decides moving on
    The units work as designed, the cellular and sensing prototypes are ready to try in homes, the privacy circuit passes the independent check, and both sides are ready to put it in real homes.

  3. 3Step 3

    About 6 months

    Pilot with families

    What happens
    A small number of homes, with the families’ consent. The built-in Wi-Fi sensing and its possible-fall flag are validated here, with consent: how often it misses real events or raises false alarms, room by room. A partner’s sensor only if relevant, as an optional input. We listen to the older people and their families.
    What decides moving on
    What the pilot homes and families tell us, what the sensing validation shows, and whether the device is easy, calm and trusted in daily life.

  4. 4Step 4

    After the pilot

    Launch

    What happens
    Preparing the product for families in Japan, with manufacturing and distribution.
    What decides moving on
    Pilot results, and the approvals and certifications needed in Japan, including radio and terminal certification for Wi-Fi and cellular and network operator approval, which are to be confirmed.

4 · Partnership

What we ask, and what we bring

A proposal to shape together. Nothing here is fixed.

What we ask of your company

  • A route to families and care networks in Japan.
  • Local knowledge of the approvals and certifications a home device like this would need in Japan.
  • Manufacturing and distribution know-how.
  • Pilot homes: help to find a small number of families who would like to take part, with their consent.
  • Your Wi-Fi sensing know-how: to help shape and validate the built-in sensing. Your sensor becomes an optional input, not a requirement.
  • Help with network operator approval in Japan for the SIM cellular link.

What we bring

  • The concept: the five points and how they fit together.
  • Privacy-first design: no camera, the mic shutter and the mic LED on the mic’s power line, an on-device wake word, and raw readings kept in the home.
  • Brand and design work: name directions, brand board, concept renders and this site.
  • Product design: the device form, the status disc with its light ring and one-word states, and the help button.
  • Software and prototype work: the device software, the voice assistant, the family app and the working prototype units, including the cellular and sensing prototypes.

5 · Next step

One working session

Our ask: a working session together, to agree the scope of the prototype phase and the pilot.

Questions to answer together:

  1. Which parts of the concept matter most to the families your company knows?
  2. How could your Wi-Fi sensing know-how shape the built-in sensing, and should your sensor stay an optional input?
  3. How should the pilot validate the possible-fall flag, with consent, and what would count as good enough?
  4. LTE-M or LTE Cat-1: which suits families in Japan, and which network operator approval would it need?
  5. Which approvals and certifications would a device like this need in Japan, including radio and terminal certification, and when should we start on them?
  6. How would we find pilot homes, and how would families give consent?
  7. Who on each side does what in the prototype phase?
  8. What would both of us need to see to decide the prototype is done?

See the full concept site, with the privacy lights demo and honest answers.