If the suit fits, wear it - and see how it ages young researchers

Boffins at Ford in Britain have designed a boiler-suit of clothes that turns the carmaker's young researchers into old researchers.

The suit was made to simulate older people's relative lack of strength and agility when getting in and out of cars. It basically restricts mobility.

"We developed the suit to show our engineers and designers what it feels like to be an older person in terms of agility," said Vivek Bhise, a Ford ergonomics specialist.

The suit is made from materials which add bulk and restrict movement in the knees, elbows, stomach and back.

Special gloves reduce the sense of touch and goggles can simulate the visual impairment caused by cataracts.

The first Ford to be designed with help from the suit was the Ford Focus, the 1999 European Car of the Year.

Ford says that the Focus has more headroom than other cars in its class, which helped designers create what they call the "H point", where the hips swivel to make it easier for the elderly to enter and exit the car.

Mike Bradley, another ergonomics expert, said: "When you are young and fit enough to leap out of a car without effort, it's hard to appreciate why an older person may need to lever themselves out of the driver's seat by pushing on the seat back and door frame.

"But if you try leaping out while wearing the suit, you get a better understanding of the challengers older people face."

Ford figures show that between 1985 and 2000 in Europe the number of male drivers over the age of 65 is expected to increase by 90 per cent, while the number of female drivers in the age group will grow by more than 200 per cent.

"The numbers show mature and elderly drivers are becoming an increasingly large percentage of the motoring public in Britain," said Richard Parry-Jones, a product development executive.

"So with the ageing suit we believe we have an advantage in knowing what the large demographic group demands."