Can opener

A can opener is a small metal object that was created on Earth and countless other planets for the purposes of opening cans which contained food. The only known race not to develop the can opener was the Vulcans, who did also not invent cans to store food.

In 2376, Kieran Duffy used the can opener as a metaphor to describe the Principles of Parallel Development to Sonya Gomez aboard the USS da Vinci. (SCE eBook: Enigma Ship).