Yoichi Ochiai works at the seam where computation and nature dissolve into one another — a condition he calls Digital Nature. Trained as a computer scientist in wave engineering and human-computer interaction, he treats philosophical propositions as things to be built: ideas implemented as physical media, artworks, assistive technologies, ventures, public architecture, and ritual.
He is a Professor at the University of Tsukuba, where he directs the Digital Nature Development Research Center, and holds a cross-appointment at the University of Tokyo. As founder and CEO of Pixie Dust Technologies, he turns acoustic, optical, and tactile computation into devices and interfaces — from sound-field control to accessibility technologies for hearing and sight.
His work has been recognized with the Prix Ars Electronica, the EU STARTS Prize, the World Technology Award, and the Laval Virtual Award, and shown from Ars Electronica to the Osaka-Kansai Expo, where he served as a Site Theme Producer. A World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, he advises Japanese government bodies on intellectual-property strategy, digital reform, and the Moonshot R&D program.
Running through all of it is a single question: what does it mean to be human once the boundary between the made and the born disappears?