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AGNES - The "Age Suit"

Submitted by rahul on 05/21/2009
Region: 
Local
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Innovation Blurb: 
Age mimicking suit aids in designing products for the aged
Web Site Link: 
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/03/23/at_mits_agelab_gro…

Joseph Coughlin's AgeLab at MIT has managed to design something rare - empathy. That is the objective behind a suit named AGNES, an acronym for the Age Gain Now Empathy System which is designed to help young engineers wearing it understand the physical limitations of older people. Designed by excercise physiologist Rozanne Puleo and a team of mechanical engineers, the suit mimics:

*reduced hearing and vision

*limited joint mobility and extension of spine

*restricted mobility

*lowered tactile ability

*induced fatigue

With the United Nations reporting that people above 60 are the fastest growing age group on earth, inducing such design contraints on engineers will improve a lot of lives as well as allow companies to cater to the market effectively.

 

Their Description: 

It's called the Age Gain Now Empathy System, or AGNES, a navy-blue jumpsuit laced with braces and elastic bands and topped with a white MIT hard hat. Exercise physiologist Rozanne Puleo helped a team of mechanical engineers develop AGNES. The goal: To teach engineers in their 20s and 30s how to design products that are easy for people in their 70s to use.

Contact: 

AgeLab Massachusetts Institute of Technology One Amherst Street, Room E40-279 Muckley Building Cambridge, MA 02142 http://mit.edu/agelab/

Image Permission: 
1
Image Notes: 

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/03/23/agesuit/ Hi Christine - Sorry for my late reply, I was on vacation last week. You can use the photo, and I am cc'ing Katie Godfrey from our lab as well who may have other photos for you to use. Thank you - Roz

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Technology