An Electric Paper Knife

Picture a small electric motor spinning a spindle with a circular paper cutout, about 2 or 3 inches in diameter, attached to its end. It would be a little like a miniature disk sander or circular saw, only that the blade is much safer, cheaper and easily replaceable. By rapidly spinning the piece of paper, you get the cutting power we experience in unfortunate paper cuts, but when it’s turned off it’s perfectly benign- so you don’t have to worry about kitchen accidents if it slips and drops. In fact, for safety purposes, it would only run while a button on the handle is pushed.

The engineering behind this device would be quite simple (similar to an electric toothbrush) which means that it would be cheaper than a good cutting knife, yet will never become dull. As soon as something happens to the paper blade, you would simply replace it with another. This feature would also be handy for people who need to cut things that must not be mixed (for example in kosher kitchens). You could also vary the paper type for different jobs, from light paper for delicate thin cuts to heavier paper and even aluminum foil for cutting tougher material. For other purposed you may be able to use anything from cloth to plastic, with or without serrated edges. You may even have a “professional” version that also allows you to control the speed and/or power of the motor.