"found a hardware firm with the same low investment as for software?"
noodle: the more complex the product and/or mass-market target the solution, the more big money is required.i'm considering developing some hardware for a niche market.  i won't need VC because i'll be able to hand assemble and produce most everything involved, and its not so complex that i'd need to quit my day job or hire help or take forever doing it.which is not totally dissimilar from software.  the big difference is overhead.  hardware has tons of it, software doesn't.