dabac writes:

Rotation release came to bicycling from skiing where step-in
engagement and rotation release was introduced years earlier

Came from skiing? Unless you mean the very basic principle of push
down to engage - twist to disengage I find it very hard to seen a
carryover between skiing and cycling in this case.

Look was the company that first mass marketed the ski binding and
later the bicycle cleat/pedal.

And at the push-and-twist level I think an explanation along the
lines of parallell evolution is more probable. After all, how many
realistic alternative methods are there to engage/disengage your
foot from the pedal?

(hand operated? - no great improvement from clip+strap)
(pull to disengage - how to separate between power pull and dismount
pull?)
(Push to disengage - see above
(pull to engage - that'd be a conflict of forces!)
(twist to engage - that could work...)

You can be sure the people in the business have studies this. I think
the current SPD cleat has the fewest drawbacks.

Jobst Brandt