Answers to your questions
Answers to your questions
I will try to answer all of the questions at once:
I would likely not spend my life savings(although with the amount in my bank account that wouldn't be too hard), instead I would start a kickstarter (kickstarter.com) for funding. I would likely offer discounted price first production units in turn for funding.
Where do the guts go? The crab is placed in the device, belly up. When the blade swings down, the shell and all the guts fall out below, leaving the legs and shoulder meat above. This method separates the meat and the guts very quickly, avoiding contamination. You would want to do this over the water or over a garbage or sink.
Is it safe? Yes, the crab is sufficiently contained in the device and its legs are sandwiched between the two plates on either side. The blade is not sharp, it is a 1/8" aluminum plate, which will not cut you.
Some people frown upon splitting the crab before cooking, as you may lose flavor the guts provide during the cooking process. However, I know many people, including myself, who prefer to cook the crab while they are as fresh as possible, on the spot with seawater, which if you have a sizable haul of crab, you will need to kill and clean first in order to fit into the pot.
Rodger: That is a great cleaning station. The device would serve as mobile cleaning station, that you can take and store on your boat, or wherever you want to clean your crab if you don't have a cleaning station.
Thank you all, your feedback has been awesome!