James Crabtree climbs into the Agnes ageing suit, designed to mimic the physical restrictions of old age. A plastic inner harness and elastic bands attached to the feet and hands imitate the movement limitations created by spinal problems, while foam wrist, knee and neck pads simulate the symptoms of arthritis. First constructed in 2005 by a team of MIT researchers with backgrounds in psychology, ergonomics and exercise physiology, the suit has been used by companies as diverse as Siemens, Daimler and General Mills. The latter experimented with it to understand, for instance, the difficulties elderly consumers face when opening cereal boxes