by Dave
(Chicago,Il USA)
How do I protect the idea? I am not mentioning it because it is unique and may be stolen.
What resources are available to help me build a prototype, or is it even necessary?
Answer:
99 times out of 100, a prototype is critical to making money from an invention. No one will take you seriously as an inventor without a prototype.
If you cannot build it yourself you should look into using designers and prototype makers to help you. Take a look at the resources below for more help.
http://www.inventionpartner.com/product-development-assistance.html
Designers are available at companies like Odesk.com or elance.com that can help you flush out your idea.
If you do not want to pay someone else to develop your idea, I encourage you to learn to make it yourself.
There are Makerspaces spread around the world that can help.
Here is a link to find them: http://makerspace.com/makerspace-directory