mechanicswhich

Mechanicswhich is a proposed interdisciplinary framework that investigates mechanical systems where the active configuration or mechanism is a decision variable influencing dynamics. In this view, a device can operate in multiple modes, and the choice of mode changes the allowable motions, constraints, and energy pathways. The term blends ideas from classical mechanics with switching or hybrid dynamics and elements of decision or control theory. In formal models, continuous state variables describe position and velocity, while discrete mode variables encode which mechanism is engaged. The dynamics are often represented with piecewise-smooth or hybrid equations, and analyses employ energy methods, variational principles, and optimization to determine preferred configurations under given goals or constraints.

Applications include modular or reconfigurable robots that switch joints or gaits, adaptive structures that engage different stiffness paths, mechanical systems with path-dependent friction, and routing devices that select contact networks based on load or speed. Examples: a reconfigurable robot that switches between wheel and leg modes; a mechanical latch that routes forces through alternative paths depending on input conditions.

Related fields include classical mechanics, control theory, hybrid dynamical systems, and optimization. Mechanicswhich foregrounds configuration choice as a dynamic variable, distinguishing it from conventional fixed-mode analyses, and provides a lens for studying mode-switching behavior in complex devices.

Status: Mechanicswhich remains largely theoretical and niche; it appears mainly in speculative or interdisciplinary discussions rather than as an established subfield with standard methods.