What does it really feel like to be 75 years old? A group of researchers in MIT's Agelab have created a suit to help people understand what it might be like to navigate the world as a senior citizen.
Called AGNES (Age Gain Now Empathy System), the suit replicates what it might be like to be in a 75-year-old body, replicating dexterity, flexibility, motor, and visual elements into a suit that can be worn by people of all ages.
Braces on the suit mimic joint stiffness and make it hard to walk, leg straps limit how fast you can travel, and a helmet causes your head to be forced forward, mimicking the curved spine of an older adult. Yellow goggles and earplugs are the final touch on the outfit, making it difficult to read and hear some things.
The idea behind the technology is to help those creating public transportation and retail spaces for older adults understand what challenges those people may have. Researchers sent students out to grocery stores wearing the suit to find low-sodium, low-sugar, and low-fat products that are typically purchased by older adults, and the students found it difficult to do so.
In addition to AGNES, the group has also created an AwareCar for better understanding the driving difficulties senior citizens may face.
Curious about what the suit looks like in action? You can check out AGNES in the video below.
I\'m sure we can find a 90 year old who has smoked 3 packs of unfiltered packs of cigarettes a day for 76 years and has never been sick, so we can conclude that cigarettes are benign for everyone.
I\'m also sure there is an 85 year old person who has never had a car accident in 70 years of driving, so we can conclude that car accidents never happen.
Isn\'t it amazing what one can do by citing some completely irrelevant anecdotes?
Almost 75
Exactly why anecdotes are irrelevant. MOST people in their 70s do, in fact, experience some challenges in mobility, vision, and hearing, even more so in their 80s. Most people are dead before they reach 90 (source: CDC mortality charts). Anecdotes prove NOTHING.
There are also plenty of anecdotes of people who keeled over in their 60s, 50s, 40s from heart attacks or cancer, despite \"healthy\" lifestyles (e.g. Adele Davis, Jim Fixx). That doesn\'t mean that people, in general, don\'t benefit from adopting a \"healthy\" diet and staying fit.
Both my grandfathers lived past 90, my father is alive and functional at 93, my mother lived to be 90, so it\'s a fair chance I\'ve got \"longevity genes,\" which may be more important than environmental influences. That doesn\'t mean I won\'t experience some vision, hearing, and mobility issues in the next 2 or 3 decades, and doesn\'t guarantee I\'ll be alive next week- despite my \"healthy\" diet and exercise regimen.
This article may b written by a person younger than 75, but it doesn\'t mean dat he has no knowledge of being 75.
True this is a stereotype of an unhealthy 75, every1 knows dat much dat if u stay healthy then it doesn\'t matter how old u r.
Gosh ppl gotta stop taking this so seriously, On the positive side, I think this is in more detail meant 4 young ppl 2 feel how it\'s like 2 b 75 (unhealthy, disability or wutever) so they know wut it\'s more like and take better care or themselves. Or wear this just 4 fun.