Abstract: Thumb twiddling devices that include a flat, hand-held housing (23) having a centrally located wheel (21) with an oblong thumb slot (35) and finger slots (33a, 33b) peripherally located about the wheel are disclosed. Thumb twiddling causes the rotation of the wheel (21) when a user's fingers (63) are interleaved together in the finger slots (33a, 33b) such that the thumbs lie in the thumb slot (35). In a toy form of the invention, thumb twiddle wheel rotations are sensed and the result used to control a display (49). In a controller form of the invention, sensed thumb twiddle wheel rotations are used to provide control signals suitable for controlling the movement of a video game object. Direction (e.g., steering) signals are provided by a tilt sensor mounted in the flat housing. Several thumb twiddle controllers can be used simultaneously by several video game "players" to control their respective objects in an interactive game.

Abstract: A multiple cylinder sinusoidal engine comprising a plurality of piston/cylinder arrangements lying parallel to, and around, a shaft cylinder is disclosed. Mounted in the shaft cylinder is a sine shaft, i.e., a cylindrical shaft having formed in its periphery at least one closed, double wave, continuous, sinusoidal groove. Coupling mechanisms couple the pistons to the sinusoidal groove or grooves of the sine shaft such that reciprocating motion of the pistons causes rotary motion of the shaft. Various air/fuel, exhaust and ignition passageways are provided through the sine shaft (or through the engine block in some embodiments) to allow air and fuel to enter the piston cylinders and exhaust gases to be emitted therefrom, and to allow ignition energy to be applied to air/fuel mixtures, as necessary. In one form, a single igniter is provided. The single igniter is coupled, sequentially, to each piston/cylinder arrangement as the sine shaft revolves.