'Mommy Tummy' Pregnancy Simulator Lets Men Experience What It Feels Like To Carry A Baby (Video)

Instead of wondering what happens during pregnancy, men can now experience it for themselves.

Well, sort of.

Japanese researchers have created the "Mommy Tummy" pregnancy simulator, a device that allows men to feel what it's like for a woman to carry a baby from conception to full term, according to ABC News.

Takayuki Kosak, a scientist at Kanagawa Institute of Technology, said he was inspired to create the device after witnessing men not offering their seats to pregnant women on the train, ABC News reports.

The "Mommy Tummy" simulates various aspects of pregnancy including weight gain, kicking and the difficulty to sleep on one's back. Sensors on the device allows the "fetus" to respond to touch and motion.

A writer at JoyStiq tested out the simulator for himself as he watched his "baby" on a monitor. He recounts:

As I shook the fetus from its sound sleep, I watched the screen as my unborn digital progeny pelted my stomach with tiny feet and fists. Afterward, I was asked to pick some objects off of the ground, witnessing firsthand how difficult it is to bend to the ground with a bowling ball strapped to my gut. I was then asked to recline on the ground and get back up quickly -- no easy task, as I discovered.

In addition to weight and size, the monitor also displays the sex and mood of the baby. Those who volunteered to try the simulator at the Tokyo Make Meeting in November 2010 even got to take home a picture of their pregnancy, according to GizMag.

For more on the device, view the video above.