History

AgeLab, originally named the Technology for Healthy Aging Laboratory, was conceived of by Joseph Coughlin in “Technology for Aging Boomers,” Issues in Science and Technology (1999).

Research initially focused on older drivers and the use of public transportation in partnership with the US Department of Transportation’s New England University Transportation Center. Shortly after acquiring laboratory space in 2000, AgeLab built the fixed-base simulator “Miss Daisy” a cherry red VW Beetle to better understand the use of intelligent transportation systems by older operators. By 2001 the AgeLab’s research agenda expanded to include projects in telemedicine, smart retail, exoskeletal and wearable computing systems, and community design with research and sponsors in seven countries.

Nearly a decade later, AgeLab's work can be found in selected automobiles, health and wellness programs, physician offices, retail shopping experiences, insurance products, and on the agenda of governments around the world.

The AgeLab is based within the School of Engineering’s Engineering Systems Division. The Lab’s faculty, researchers, and students are drawn from across MIT and include contributors from the Schools of Engineering, Business, Architecture and Planning, Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences.

Click here to see a video overview of the AgeLab.