Welcome to West Lab.

The Nishi Laboratory is at the forefront of research in next-generation Internet, smart communities, and related information infrastructure.

We have developed an intelligent Internet router tailored for the next-generation Internet, enhancing performance and functionality while promoting applications in edge computing. In the realm of smart communities, we leverage various demonstration environments through partnerships to offer services for residents and regions. Additionally, we are involved in initiatives such as smart industry and smart agriculture.

Our work integrates next-generation Internet with smart communities to create a comprehensive information infrastructure system. This includes core technologies like information anonymization and security techniques to protect personal data.

We utilize various programming languages such as C, C++, C#, Python, Java, and JavaScript to achieve these goals. We also employ essential libraries like DPDK and eBPF/XDP for high-speed processing, network information monitoring, and container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes. To process massive data sets and efficiently understand system performance, we use deep learning technologies with frameworks like PyTorch. Moreover, we design real systems, ranging from hardware to services, using low-level hardware design tools like Verilog and FPGA. By operating these systems in-house, we continuously propose solutions to various challenges.

Without information processing and signal processing technologies, social infrastructure cannot exist. For instance, AI requires real-world data, autonomous driving needs control mechanisms, smart cities rely on urban planning and municipal cooperation, and hardware construction demands performance, power, heat, and usability evaluations. Thus, proper system construction and evaluation cannot be achieved with information engineering knowledge alone, but efficient, interoperable systems cannot be built without it. Therefore, the Nishi Lab is part of the Department of System Design Engineering at the undergraduate level and the Information Engineering Course at the Graduate School of Open Environmental Science. Accordingly, when advancing to graduate school, students belong to the Information Engineering Course in the Graduate School of Open Environmental Science. At the undergraduate level, based on the philosophy of the Department of System Design Engineering—analysis, design, and harmony—students acquire practical information system knowledge in collaboration with various academic fields. In the Information Engineering Course, students delve deeper into advanced research on computer and network architectures, enabling the construction of advanced and practical information systems that highly integrate various fields. This unique background supports our distinctive research.

We emphasize thorough application and empirical principles, prioritizing on-site and real-world experiments. In smart communities, we gather data from sensors installed in cities, homes, and factories, as well as movement and purchase data from residents, network traffic capture data, and real-field data in smart agriculture. We independently build these data environments. Students can comprehensively learn and research system construction technologies, data utilization technologies, and service provision technologies using these settings.

Our lab engages in numerous joint research projects with domestic local governments and companies as well as international universities, companies, and renowned research institutions. Many students participate in international research collaborations and internships, with numerous opportunities for overseas study each year. These collaborations enable us to achieve research outcomes and actively engage in international technology standardization.