Being a strapping, young 20-something-year-old myself, I’ve often wondered what life may be like when age eventually creeps up on me. But it looks like I’m not the only one pondering this, as a group of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Agelab have created a suit to help people better understand what it might be like to navigate the world as a senior citizen. The suit, which is named AGNES (Age Gain Now Empathy System), emulates what it feels like to be in the body of a 75-year-old by restricting flexibility and simulating a whole host of other physical impairments. However, don’t fret just yet — the suit isn’t modeled on the average 75 year old body, but rather replicates the body of a person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and doing little to no exercise. Braces on the suit mimic joint stiffness and make it hard to walk, while special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance. To add to the hardship, special gloves give the illusion of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists, while goggles and earplugs make it difficult to read and hear some things. The final touch to the ‘old suit’ is a helmet with straps attached that compresses the spine and cause the head to be forced forward. 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 to face on a daily basis. As part of their research, the team of engineers at MIT decided to send students out to grocery stores wearing the suits to find low-sodium, low-sugar, and low-fat products that are typically purchased by older adults, and the students found it to be an arduous task. The suit has also been used by clothing companies, car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer. A word to the wise: try sticking to those New Year’s resolutions this year because otherwise you may be on the road to donning a real life ‘old suit’ in years to come and really, it doesn’t sound like much fun. 
