Diseño de una herramienta de apoyo ergonómico para los artesanos tejedores de totora en la parroquia Guaytacama

Abstract

This research proposes the design of an ergonomic support tool aimed at improving the working conditions of totora weaving artisans in the Guaytacama parish, Latacunga canton. These artisans carry out their craft in rural settings under inadequate conditions, facing high levels of physical strain, forced postures, and technological limitations that compromise their occupational health and reduce productivity. The project also emerges as a strategy to preserve a cultural tradition at risk, through the analysis of weaving processes and the development of a functional, safe, and locally adapted ergonomic solution. A mixed methodology was applied, based on the Design Thinking approach, complemented by field studies, semi-structured interviews, anthropometric data collection, and the application of ergonomic evaluation methods such as REBA, RULA, and OCRA. The results revealed a high level of risk associated with repetitive tasks and prolonged postures, especially in the use of improvised tools—such as stones—to press the totora fiber. In response, a manual tool prototype was designed to replace this practice, offering a stable and safe pressing system made from durable and locally sourced materials, accessible to the community. This thesis demonstrates how industrial design, from a social and contextual perspective, can provide concrete and sustainable solutions to real-world problems, contributing to the strengthening of the productive and cultural identity of traditionally marginalized communities.