Who invented the rotary engine?

[McOscar]

The inventor of the rotary engine is Felix Wankel from Germany. The rotary engine directly converts the combustion expansion force of flammable gas into driving torque. Compared with reciprocating engines, the rotary engine eliminates useless linear motion, so a rotary engine of the same power is smaller in size, lighter in weight, and has lower vibration and noise, giving it significant advantages. Due to the axial operation characteristics of the rotary engine, it can achieve higher operating speeds without requiring precise crankshaft balancing. The entire engine has only two rotating components, which is a significant simplification compared to the more than twenty moving parts, including intake and exhaust valves, found in a typical four-stroke engine. This also greatly reduces the possibility of malfunctions.