MIT Creates Suit That Makes You Feel Old

AGNES intended to help design senior-friendly places, products
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 4, 2012 3:36 PM CST

Ever wondered just how much it sucks to be your grandmother? Well thanks to the folks at the MIT AgeLab, you don’t have to wonder anymore. They’ve created a suit called AGNES—short for “Age Gain Now Empathy System”—that simulates the trials and tribulations that come with your average 70-year-old body, Mashable reports. The suit uses various braces, bands, and other tricks to limit wearers' mobility, and give them a glimpse of senior citizen discomfort.

A band from the helmet, for example, helps simulate the curved, compressed spine that comes with aging, while braces limit knee and elbow mobility, and earplugs and yellow glasses dull the senses, according to the project’s official page. The goal? To give product designers, engineers, architects and more insight into how the elderly will experience their work. (More MIT stories.)

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