nonmechanical

Nonmechanical is an adjective describing systems, processes, or explanations that do not rely on moving mechanical parts to perform their function. It is used as a descriptive contrast to mechanical or machine-based approaches and can apply across science, engineering, biology, and philosophy. The term is not a formal technical category but a convenience for indicating non-mechanical operation or reasoning.

In engineering and technology, nonmechanical solutions emphasize energy transduction or information processing without traditional gears, cams, or linkages. Examples include electronic circuits that perform tasks without moving components, chemical sensors whose signals arise from reactions, and certain forms of soft robotics that use non-mechanical actuation such as electrochemical or electroactive effects. Nonmechanical propulsion and locomotion are topics of interest for devices that move via field effects, fluid dynamics without moving parts, or magnetohydrodynamic principles.

In biology and chemistry, many processes are inherently nonmechanical, relying on diffusion, chemical signaling, catalysis, or osmotic forces rather than mechanical force transfer through solid parts.

In philosophy and theory, nonmechanical explanations resist a purely mechanistic account of phenomena, emphasizing holistic, emergent, informational, or contextual factors rather than reduction to mechanical interactions.

See also: mechanical philosophy, mechanism, nonmechanism, emergentism, cybernetics.