Berthaume Michael A, Kramer Patricia Ann
Division of Mechanical Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK.
Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3100, USA.
Interface Focus. 2021 Aug 13;11(5):20200056. doi: 10.1098/rsfs.2020.0056. eCollection 2021 Oct 6.
In recent decades, funding agencies, institutes and professional bodies have recognized the profound benefits of transdisciplinarity in tackling targeted research questions. However, once questions are answered, the previously abundant support often dissolves. As such, the long-term benefits of these transdisciplinary approaches are never fully achieved. Over the last several decades, the integration of anthropology and engineering through inter- and multidisciplinary work has led to advances in fields such as design, human evolution and medical technologies. The lack of formal recognition, however, of this transdisciplinary approach as a unique entity rather than a useful tool or a subfield makes it difficult for researchers to establish laboratories, secure permanent jobs, fund long-term research programmes and train students in this approach. To facilitate the growth and development and witness the long-term benefits of this approach, we propose the integration of anthropology and engineering be recognized as a new, independent field known as . We present a working definition for anthroengineering and examples of how anthroengineering has been used. We discuss the necessity of recognizing anthroengineering as a unique field and explore potential novel applications. Finally, we discuss the future of anthroengineering, highlighting avenues for moving the field forward.
近几十年来，资助机构、科研院所和专业团体已经认识到跨学科研究在解决特定研究问题方面具有深远的益处。然而，一旦问题得到解答，先前充足的支持往往就会消失。因此，这些跨学科方法的长期效益从未得到充分实现。在过去几十年里，通过跨学科和多学科合作，人类学与工程学的融合推动了设计、人类进化和医疗技术等领域的发展。然而，这种跨学科方法缺乏作为一个独特实体而非一种有用工具或子领域的正式认可，这使得研究人员难以建立实验室、获得稳定工作、为长期研究项目筹集资金以及用这种方法培养学生。为了促进这一方法的发展并见证其长期效益，我们提议将人类学与工程学的融合视为一个名为“人类工程学”的新的独立领域。我们给出了人类工程学的一个实用定义以及人类工程学应用实例。我们讨论了将人类工程学视为一个独特领域的必要性，并探索其潜在的新应用。最后，我们讨论了人类工程学的未来，强调推动该领域发展的途径。
