AGNES Allows The Young To Experience Instant 'Aging'
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Most of us have at some point or another become impatient with a 'slow, bumbling' elderly adult or a grandparent 'moaning' about aches and pains. Would we be as dismissive, if we knew what they were going through?
Now, thanks to the AGNES (Age Gain Now Empathy System) suit developed by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Age Lab, we can all experience the plight of the elderly.
Thankfully, however, the transformation is not a result of an irreversible chemical reaction, but a temporary condition caused by different gadgets that are attached to the suit. To emulate slow movement and joint pain, two stretchy bands, restrict the legs from extending all the way. A special helmet with straps attaches to the spine and alters body posture, so that person can experience how it feels to walk around with a little stoop.
Special shoes restrict the gait by reducing hamstring flexibility. And that's not all - Wear the gloves that come with the suit, and you will realize why the elderly cannot lift things as deftly as a young person. To complete the experience, AGNES comes with special earphones that make it difficult to hear to hear really sharp or soft sounds.
While an AGNES experience is bound to emanate some sympathy for the elderly, that is not the primary purpose behind its creation. It has largely been invented so that designers and engineers can create safer crosswalks, stairs, accessible grocery aisles and so on - A very important consideration given that the elderly population in the US alone, is expected to exceed over 7.2 million, by the year 2030.
In addition, AGNES has been modeled after an adult who has led an extremely unhealthy life, hence projecting a senior citizen in the worst possible health condition. By doing so, the scientists are hoping to encourage today's youth to make better food choices and remain active, which in turn, will help them age better.
So, the next time you are feeling lazy or eating too much junk, be sure to reflect back on AGNES and, while 75 may seem like eons of years away, it will come by sooner than you think - Just ask your grandparents!
Resources: latimes.com, tested.com,odditycentral.com
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- Vanessa Lover 13 yearsAn elderly person would say to take car of yourself while your young like saying to go outside and not eat junk food. You should go outside and play or run. When you get older, you wont have pains if when you were a child you stayed fit. Staying fit is important because just having shaking hands can seriously injure you. This is why I'm staying fit!
- Alex Pover 13 yearsAn elder person would tell younger people good advice. They would tell us to take care of our selves. To eat healthy. Not to eat a lot of junk food. But it is okay to eat some junk food sometimes but not all the time. The elderly would tell us to enjoy our youth. Because you never know when you won't have it anymore. Youth is important and you should enjoy it because being older is hard. It is hard to move the way you use to. Take care of your body. Because your youth won't last forever.
- Seth Yover 13 yearsMy dad always says "if you don't eat your dinner you may not have any chips or cookies." Sometimes I think that's stupid! But sometimes I am able to understand the concept of him saying that. So in my head I think "I should listen to him I need to eat healthy as a young person or else when I grow up I will be slob. I never want to eat vegetables but I have noticed that if you do not eat healthy you will not live a happy life. I don't want that to happen! So I am always going to try to eat healthy when I can even now sometimes iu don't like the food that i am eating.
- Lana M.over 13 yearsHello, dearies! My name is Mrs. Millman...cough...and I've come to tell you...cough cough...how important it is...wheeze...to take care of yourself. You need to eat your veggies...cough...drink your orange juice...hack...and excersize everyday. Don't forget..cough cough...to take baths and showers, or...cough...you could catch a nasty, nasty cold. And don't bother...hack...with those newfangled computers and...cough...video games. Sit down and read a book! It is all right...cough...to eat a few...hack...sweets now and then. Just don't eat...cough cough...too much. Now where are those...cough...cough drops?
- Jakob Tover 13 yearsA elderly person says to stop eating junk food such as Pizza, chips, candy,and many others. My mom says "You need to eat healthy" so do elderly people. It all starts when your young kids just idnoer their parents or grand parents. I dont like to eat fruit so i just drink "V8". You need to care for your body or when your older you cant bend down. This is why you need to take cre of your body. Live a healthy life.
- Ashley Kover 13 yearsYou know it's not much fun and games being old. Your back hurts and you can't bend down as far as you did before. In fact your whole body doesn't move as it did before. So it's important that you exercise while you still can. Make sure you eat healthy and stay away from junk food. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to keep your body healthy and fit.
- milan kaplarover 13 yearswell young children to day i will tell you the import-ants of living healthy. one saying my mother would say is never crack you bones. and when you sit in a stool sit strait up. so when you get older you will not be lunging. that is all i need to say.
- Michael $$$$over 13 yearsIt might look fun to be old and to have lived a great life. The truth is that if you want to live a happy healthy life, it all starts when you are young. All this technology certainly helps, but no technology is as good as taking care of yourself when in your early years. Almost everything you do can be made a little healthier. Enjoy the chance you have to start a healthy life. Make the desicions that you think are right starting today.
- Maciek S.over 13 yearsAn elderly person would say"you should stop eating all of that junk food like french fries and pizza and all those greasy foods. If you want to be as strong as me [ I bench 50 pounds everyday] you have to eat lots and lots of vegetables and fruits." From this point of view I think that it is important to take care of your body because when you become old your back will start to hurt and you wont be able to bend down. That is why I think it is important to take care of your body.
- Alexandruover 13 yearsYou kids better take care of yourselves! If you keep on eating and drinking that coca-cola, McDonalds, and Lays junk, you'll weigh more than a German tank! If you want to be fit when your old, like me, Ethan Smith, eat healthy fruits and veggies, drink lots of water( not that soda pop rubbish), and exercise a lot by playing cricket. Heck! I can still box 20 year old men twice my size! Some healthy foods include tofu, hummus(organic! not processed!), and dried plums. Also, you better sleep a lot. Go to bed at 5:30, so you can wake at the crack of dawn. Well, that is all of my advice.