Boomers Age in Style
May 24 -- Baby boomers are aging at a fortunate time — when Americans are living longer and staying healthier longer than ever before.
The 2000 Census found that women can now expect to live to 79 and a half — a year longer than a decade ago. Men now live two years longer, to almost 74.
However, there are some unavoidable facts of life. One of them is that getting older makes getting around much more difficult. But new technology is making a difference.
At the AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, engineers are trying to come up with what lab founder Dr. Joseph Coughlin calls "a new lifestyle for active aging."
Using a robot, the MIT researchers study the stiff joints that come with age, to develop mechanical devices to help people move their limbs with greater ease. The goal is to make the devices small enough to be embedded in so-called smart clothes.
"It would be very lightweight, very mobile, so it would actually be like strapping on designer clothes or something," says Dava Newman, an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT.
Other ideas have moved off the drawing board and into everyday life.
Home health monitors now evaluate vital signs so patients and doctors can maintain daily contact via the Internet. That information may soon be loaded into portable bar code scanners to determine if groceries meet diet restrictions.
An armband can measure stress levels or tell users they need more sleep.
"The devices we see surrounding us in health care, throughout the home, even our shopping experience is about providing us with the knowledge to stay well," says Coughlin.
The technology for aging exists, but style-concious baby boomers might be reluctant to be seen using it.
That's the challenge at Design Science in Philadelphia, where researchers use computer models to study how older people interact with everyday products.
Everything is tested: how much pressure to push a button, what kind of lettering is easiest to read.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live