New Exoskeleton Technology Allows People To Experience The Hardships Of Aging

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- Welcome to New York. We walk fast, talk fast, and get a lot done. But we're also lot more impatient, which can be hard when we come upon some of our older, slower neighbors.

It can be hard to identify with aging if you haven't walked in an older person's shoes. But with the help of some amazing technology, CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez was able to do just that.

An exoskeleton suit consisting of more than 40 pounds of sophisticated computer and robotic technology is a $2 million collaboration between Genworth Financial and robotic designer Applied Minds.

The idea is to give people a feel for what it's like to experience various maladies of again. The traveling interactive experience is currently at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

"It's hard to talk about aging, both for kids and for parent. It's really to spark a dialog between people. It creates empathy," Liberty Science Center Chief Executive Officer and President Paul Hoffman said.

First, the technology impairs a user's vision with what it's like to have glaucoma or macular degeneration. Then comes the physically demanding part: the blue lights on the exoskeleton turn red to show the joints that are getting stiff.

Gomez compared this feeling as similar to "trying to climb through peanut butter." He then headed to the treadmill where a heart rate monitor showed how hard he was working as the controllers stiffen the hips or knees.

"What we hope this encourages is patience, so people will slow down and recognize that impatience that comes with youth is misplaced because the person walking next to you may be working a lot harder than you realize," said Candace Hammer of the Genworth Aging Experience.

The Genworth Aging Experience will be at the Liberty Science Center through this Sunday.