They do but they iterate when solving the problem, usually on paper. If they make a design mistake and it's in production or prototype phase it's much more cost

They do but they iterate when solving the problem, usually on paper. If they make a design mistake and it's in production or prototype phase it's much more costly to address. And because of this development cycles are longer and a lot more time is spent upfront. This I agree with. Most engineers would kill to have the kind of feedback cycle that we have. (Disclaimer: my experience, such as it is, is with electrical rather than mechanical engineering.) Solving real life problems, like this, thoroughly is worlds away from what most programmers enjoy - creating. This I disagree with. Of course (mechanical) engineers enjoy creating - for example, read Florman's Existential Pleasures of Engineering.