“ Using computers to model the physical world has become increasingly common; products as diverse as cars and planes, pharmaceuticals and cellphones are almost entirely conceived, specified and designed on a computer screen. Typically, only when these creations are nearly ready for mass manufacturing are prototypes made — and often not by the people who designed them. Creative designers and engineers are rebelling against their alienation from the physical world. “The hands-on part is for me a critical aspect of understanding how to design,” said Michael Kuniavsky , a consultant in San Francisco who for three years has convened a summer gathering of leading designers, called “Sketching in Hardware.” At last month’s session, at the Rhode Island School of Design, attendees broke into small groups, wielding soldering irons and materials their grandfathers probably knew more about.
