Mayan women rely on weaving to generate essential income for their families. Their traditional weaving method results in beautiful cloth, but has the disadvantage of causing back injuries, negatively impacting their health and productivity. Research and development by Dr. Karen Piegorsch, an HPEB alumna, has resulted in designing the Backstrap Weaver's Ergonomic Bench and developing an educational program to help Mayan women use this technology to improve their economic well-being and quality of life. For this work, Dr. Piegorsch has received the prestigious Tech Museum Award, honoring individuals globally who apply technology to improve quality of life, and Dr. Piegorsch's ergonomics consulting firm, Synergo, was named a Laureate for the Accenture Economic Development Award.

Video of Synergo Invention