From the Back Cover
This book is about the application of ergonomics in handicraft manufacturing and design keeping in mind the two sets of users, craftsmen and customers buying handicraft items. Written in an easy to understand language and in a story telling format. It requires no prior knowledge of the subject nor any knowledge of science or technology for using this book and applying it in handicraft manufacturing and design. The book starts with an overview of the application of ergonomics in different aspects of craft manufacturing, touching upon tools, space, process and then moves into the aspects of ergonomics of craft packaging and displaying. Alongside the book also explains the ergonomic aspects of designing of handicraft products keeping the users of the products in mind, their dimensions, capacity, limitations etc. Each chapter starts with an "overview" and ends with "key points" and exercises to help the readers in applying the principles of ergonomics in handicraft. The last chapter is dedicated to exercises in different areas of handicraft and the ergonomic applications for them, followed by ergonomic design directions to solve them.
Prabir Mukhopadhyay holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Physiology and an M.Sc. degree in Physiology with specialisation in Ergonomics and Work Physiology from Calcutta University, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Ergonomics from the University of Limerick, Ireland. Prabir started working with noted ergonomist Prof R.N. Sen at the Calcutta University both for his Master's thesis and later on a project sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. He joined the National Institute of Design(NID), Ahmedabad, India as an ergonomist on a consultancy project for the Indian Railways. He later joined the same institute as a faculty in ergonomics. During his tenure at Ahmedabad, he worked on many consultancy projects. After working at NID Ahmedabad for two and half years Prabir left for Ireland for pursuing his PhD In Industrial Ergonomics at the University of Limerick. After completing his PhD he returned back to India and joined the National Institute of Design, Post Graduate Campus at Gandhinagar and headed the Software and User Interface Design Discipline. After working there for around five years he joined his present Institute The Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur as a Faculty in Design Discipline. He still works there and is currently the Associate Professor and Head of the Discipline.
He has published around 23 peer reviewed journal publications, two book chapters and four single author books. He has succcessfully completed consultancy projects for Indian Railways, Self Employed Womens Association, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Mazgaon Dock Limited, Mumbai (Indian Navy Classified Project). He was appointed as a Consultant(Ergonomics) by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, on the SEG on Rural Craft and Artisans Development & Rural Industrialization and Entrepreneurship Development, operating under the larger umbrella of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan. As a consultant he developed a craft manual for the artisans on ergonomic issues in the craft sector. Recently as a Principle Investigator he completed a project on ergonomic intervention in schools, sponsored by National Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT), New Delhi.
He is a Member, Advisory Board, Centre for Creative Cognition, SR University, Warangal, India. He has delivered expert lectures for many institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kurukhsetra and Amravati, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Jodhpur, Delhi Technological University, etc.
