Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Biogen's MS simulator

No, really. Snip from the press release:
With Step Inside MS, participants interact with cutting-edge media and technology to simulate a realistic approximation of the MS patient experience. Accompanied by a trained attendant, participants enter a small theatrical simulator that houses a treadmill where they will be outfitted with goggles and sensory gloves so they experience many of the symptoms that people with MS often encounter, including unpredictable loss of muscle control and coordination problems, numbness and tingling in the hands, hot flashes, and visual and cognitive impairment such as memory loss and decreased verbal ability. The simulation also illustrates social hurdles that a person with MS often faces.

If it wasn't already 3:30 in the afternoon, I might have been able to come up with a decent joke for this, but it's that time of day when I get a little dopey and distracted by the burning sensation in my butt/thighs. Does the simulator simulate that? How about bladder trouble? What about depression or loss of sexual function?

I guess the point is that if you created an accurate MS simulator, nobody would show up to experience it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere that most people who would experience what we do would be phoning 911 more often than we ever do! Might be interesting to see what normal people do in a machine like that.

Stephen said...

yeah, as someone else asked, how do you simulate brain fog and constipation? most of all, how do you simulate the daily uncertainty of life with ms? an interesting idea, like a flight simulator, but ultimately, not much more than a carnival ride that no one is going to want to go on more than once.

Anonymous said...

They can take my ride and I'll get off now, thank you! Since MS is the poster child for invisible illness, maybe it would benefit caregivers and healthcare professionals?? This goes in the "What will they think of next" category!

Lily265