Inventing a physical product
brk: Been through that a few times.Your path depends on if you want to sell/license a patent (and thus have less control over the end product, company, and profits), or if you want to build a company (which often, but not always, tends to require that you develop more than one product, at least over time).The bigger issue (IME/IMO) is not so much the differences between building a software product and a hardware product on the tech side, but on the legal side.  Product liability issues are going to be more "real" when you have a real product, especially if it falls into a pseudo-medical application as your example above does.Your best bet is probably to lawyer up early on and learn the ropes that way.  Depending on your friends/family network, you may be able to find a connection to a decent local attorney who would be willing to work with you on a discounted rate in exchange for some share of stock or profit.