Technologies for the Base of the Economic Pyramid

This book presents the selection, analysis, and design approach for the technologies developed for the Base of the economic Pyramid (BoP). It focuses on the design, selection, and analysis of technologies tailored specifically for resource-constrained environments. Established multi-attribute decision-making methods, such as TOPSIS, have been used to create a framework for the selection of appropriate technology. A scenario-based selection methodology has been proposed, along with a software toolbox so that practitioners and users can readily use it for any use-cases. Furthermore, structural and realistic multibody dynamic analyses have been carried out on real-world projects chosen from the Rural Technology Action Group, IIT Delhi. An insight into how a design may be optimized to be manufactured and used in a low-resource setting has been provided. 

Readers will find valuable insights into various aspects, including Technology-related challenges faced by the BoP, Role of technology in poverty alleviation and development, Methodology for ranking technology alternatives for various BoP use-case scenario, Dynamic analysis and design considerations for real-world BoP technologies, Addressing socio-technical constraints and optimizing technology designs, & Potential economic benefits that can be unlocked by choosing and designing appropriate technologies for the BoP.

This book includes illustrative case studies and provides real-world examples along with tables and figures to aid comprehension of complex concepts.

Dr. Suraj Bhat is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechatronics at Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering. He obtained his PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. His thesis was on the selection and analysis of technologies developed for the base of the economic pyramid. He was also associated with the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), IIT Delhi, where he was involved in several socio-technical projects. His research interests include design for development, decision making, design optimization, and appropriate technology. He has several publications, including journal articles and proceedings in national and international conferences.

Prof. (Dr.) Vinay Gupta is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the IEC College of Engineering and Technology, and currently serves as the director of the institute. He earned his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in “Dynamic Model Based Optimum Design of Robotic Systems” from the Mechanical Engineering Department. He has more than two decades of teaching and research experience. He has led several projects as Principal Investigator in collaboration with the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) at IIT Delhi. Prof. Gupta co-supervised a Ph.D. candidate at IIT Delhi, focusing on technology selection, analysis and design for rural and economically weaker sections. He is the co-author of the book titled “Dynamics and Balancing of Multibody Systems: Applications to Rural and Robotic Systems,” published by Springer Nature in 2025. His research interests include multibody dynamics, mechanisms, optimum design, and robotics.

Prof. Subir Kumar Saha is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi since 1996 and currently serves as the Project Director of the I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics at IIT Delhi (since 2020). He holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from RE College (now NIT), Durgapur (1983), M.Tech. from IIT Kharagpur, and a Ph.D. from McGill University, Canada (1991). Previously, he worked as a Research Scientist at Toshiba Corporation’s R&D Center in Japan (1991–1995) and has been a visiting faculty at IIT Madras, McGill University (Canada), Monash University (Australia), and the University of Verona (Italy). His accolades include the Humboldt Fellowship (1999) by the AvH Foundation, Germany, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from NIT Durgapur (2020), and recognition by his high-school alma mater Midnapore College (2024). Prof. Saha’s research interests focus on robotics, multibody dynamics, rural technology applications, and innovative teaching and research methodologies. He established the Mechatronics Laboratory at IIT Delhi in 2001 and contributed to establish the Programme for Autonomous Robotics (PAR) Laboratory in 2010. He has authored textbook, several specialized books, peer reviewed journal and conference publications and completed many national and international-level sponsored projects and consultancies.