Old Age Simulator

quackking writes "Tired of being young and healthy? Now you can simulate your own old age. This story describes a sensory-modification suit which, among other things, selectively blocks out certain sound frequencies, and lets you experience arthritis."

Comments

This doesn't sound like a very good simulator

[wiggys]

Cycling at 70? Impossible," concluded 23-year-old Julia, testing the suit for the benefit of the readers of the mass-selling Bild newspaper. The joints, deliberately stiffened, prevented her getting even one leg over the bike.

Well how come my finacee's grandmother cycles 4 miles per day most days? She's far fitter than I am, and I'm 27!

Not to mention this guy. He's 86 and would probably make most Slashdotters look about 186...

Ford uses these...

[BSDevil]

According to this Wired article, Ford has developed one of these systems (they're calling it the third age suit), designed to add thirty years to your age so that their designers can get a sense of how old people feel in their cars. The guys that designed the Focus all had to wear these things for a while and play with Ford's other cars when they were in the design stages of teh interior, to get a sens of what worked and what didn't for older people.

I also find it neat that the Toyota Echo was expressely designed for older people (or says the dealer). Personally, I thought older people liked to drive huge cars like Buicks and Caddies (even ones from the eighties), but my grandmother has an Echo and loves it. The seats are high up and the hood is short for more visability, and all the nobs and dials seem bigger than usual for cars that size. Makes me laugh seeing twenty-somethings driving them...