HEAD & NECK:

The head and neck of the body are combined into one topic because of the very tight coupling; especially about the throat. Distinct or discrete topics for sub-areas such as nasal and orbital are best within their own entry.

There are many layers of ac tuators and fascia within the head and neck area. Also, there are locations that are subdivisions of this major area. Gray breaks the head and neck group into several sub-areas for the human equivalent.

Designing/Engineering Notes:

There are few applicable engineering notes to the head and neck area, yet, as of . Applicable notes will likely be in the suggested topics. However, every;
cephalic (the "C-"n),
facial ("F-"),
orbit ("O-"),
nasal ("N-"),
ear ("E-"),
and
lip ("L-")
index is applicable. Many of these indices and measurements are essential for your android's desired likeness.

Frame Elements:

A Skull is made up of 21 fused bones. About 20% of the 6 pound dry weight (see [Gray {old} pg. 148]) for the average woman is the skull. The frame element classifications or sub-components of the human head are the;

.Parietal,

.Temporal,

.Frontal,

.Occipital,

.Petra,

.    Malar (cheek),

.    Maxillary,

.    Nasal,

and the
.    Mandible (movable--lower jaw, formed with a pair of Rami). Many of the EYES' "deeply hidden bones" also apply and for the reasons within that topic.

Certain other bones of the human skull and face are omitted from this list because they or their structures are either incorporated into other android frame elements (such as the nasal) or they are not applicable to android construction (such as the vomer) of this or foreseeable future generations.

Bones of the neck, in addition to the head are the seven (7) cervical vertebrae:

.    Atlas,

.    Axis,

and the
.    remaining five cervicals.

Articulations:

The skeletal articulations are limited to two areas, the jaw and the upper end of the spinal column. The spinal column could (and should) be a separate topic because it is in the vertebral column which begins at the skull and runs the length of the torso. Perhaps the spinal topic would be the best place to put any discussion about intervertebral disks and ligatures.

Some of the following may seem a bit procedural. However, if you are indeed planning or working on fabricating an HTA, you would be much better off working from the Android Makers Handbook because that was designed to directly support the construction steps.

Innermost Layer of Muscles and Other Tissues:

This innermost layer of tissues is almost an extension of the "Articulations" topic. These comprise this deepest layer's muscles, tendons, and ligatures. The applicable tissues and ac tuators for this innermost layer of the head are:

.    Curiously, there are no notable ligatures at this level for the jaw. There were TEFC fibers attached at the deepest layers as mentioned in an early section in the handbook.

.    The applicable or like ligatures are at the skull.jawbone articulations and at the upper cervical articulations. Use TEFC in these joints.

Once the pelvis is "stitched" into the spinal column and then the spinal column "stacked" to where the lower cervical vertebrae is next, the following procedure is used:

    Place the Seventh Cervical vertebrae in the manner like the previous steps. Although this part of the Spinal Column may seem simpler because there are no rib heads to attach, do not become complacent! The additional ligatures and muscles for neck articulations and head movement are more sensitive to craftsmanship shortcomings.

    Incorporate the Sixth-up to-Third Cervical vertebrae in the previously described procedure.

    Place the Second cervical, the Axis, on the Third Cervical vertebrae in the previous manner.

    Affix the Atlas to the Spinal column:
    Prepare the Transverse ligament and synovial membranes for the Atlas.

    Thread or dress the Spinal cordage through the Spinal foramen of the Atlas, keeping the Spinal cord close to the Posterior Arch.

    Apply the WhiFt material with reinforcement fibers to form the four Anterior and Posterior Occipito-atlantal ligatures (as described in [Gray, p.229]). The amount applied may be slightly proportional to your android's build.

    Again, apply the WhiFt material with reinforcement fibers to form the two Lateral Occipito-atlantal ligatures from each transverse process of the Atlas to the Occipital's jugular process [Gray, p.230].

.    There is a Transverse Ligament with a synovial membrane in the Atlas which binds the od ontoid process to the anterior synovial on center with the Atlas' Anterior arch. This still leaves a "u" shaped Vertebral Foramen for the Spinal Cord and its Membranes.

.    There are these types of ligatures between the head ends of the ribs along the spine.

.    There are these types of ligatures between the head end of the ribs and the Transverse Process on both sides of the applicable vertebrae.

    Attach the Occipital:
    Thread or dress the Spinal Cord assembly through the Foramen magnum of the Occipital bone. The foramen magnum (the "big hole" in Latin ) where the spinal cord passes through, is between the 2 points the skull pivots on the Atlas.

    Attach the two particular capsular ligaments to the Occipital bone's condyles to articulate with the Atlas' Lateral Masses.

See the "Auricular," "Jaw," "Mouth," "Nasal," "Neck," "Orbital," and "Throat and Voice" topics for more related information that has been expanded for the detailed topic.

Intermediate Layer of Muscles and Other Tissues:

The Palpebral region seems to be primarily of the intermediary and outer layers. The appropriate innermost areas of the eyes are to be discussed in the "orbital" topic.

Teeth have been identified as an intermediary layer item. Fixed teeth could "nail down" the mouth liner to which seems as an intermediary layer process. However, false teeth could have been a personal artifact or last minute of the outermost layer. Conversely, teeth could be part of the mandible and maxillary which would make them innermost or part of the frame element construction.

The applicable actuators for this intermediary layer of the head and neck are:

.    Corrugator supercilii,

.    Tendo oculi,

and the
.    Horners muscle.

Another group:
.    Temporal [Gray, p.311] muscle is superficial to the pterygoids,

.    Deep Masseter,

and the
.    Superficial Masseter.

Internal Components:

The respective internal components to the head and neck to be installed are the:

.    Brain or seat of the mind component containing the;
    Executive,

    Manager,

    Supervisor, and the

Worker

    levels,

.    Sense components;
    Vision organs.eyes,

    Hearing units.ears, and

    Balance units,

and the
.    Voice mechanism.

Outermost Layer of Muscles and Other Tissues:

The applicable human and android muscles for this last, outermost layer of the head and neck area are:

.    Occipito-frontalis.

Muscles of the Eyes:
.    Orbicularis palpebrarum.

.    Levator labii superioris.

.    Zygomatic minor.

.    Sternocleidomastoid.

.    Platysma myoides (of the jaw and neck).

Muscles of the mouth:
.    Depressor anguli oris.

.    Depressor labii inferioris.

.    Orbicularis oris.

.    Levator labii superioris (proprius).

.    Risorius (Santorini).

.    Zygomaticus minor.

.    Zygomaticus major.

Final Layers and Artifacts:

Certain subcutaneous fat is used to protect the skin from articulation abrading. A little more in femdroids with their smaller heads adds to the feminine softness desired.

The skin is the last major component. It must also be applied over the entire android in one application until a means of making seamless, imperceptible joints is invented.

The scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes are applicable external artifacts. The vermillion of the lips is made by the processes with the lip muscles and skin layering.

Inspection Criteria:

Can you see your android's likeness supported in the shaped surfaces of the skull and face bones? Verifying this is a very artistic interpolation. Perhaps it may require a bit of faith in your abilities because after all the work to this point, some experience a cognitive dissonance.

The head should tilt and sweep through its human range of movement.

Trivia:

"... The height of that grownup's head" is ideally, exactly 1/8th the height of a grownup human [Boyd, 6 June `93]. Could be, King proportions body (female ideal) heights by quarters in which the top quarter starts at the shoulders.

"... your hat size is the circumference of your head divided by pi, according to the haberdashers. Say your head is 23 inches around. Divide that by 3.1416, roughly, and you'll get fairly close to the most common hat band size of 73/8ths. Close enough, at any rate, to stretch or stuff." [Boyd, 11 June `95].

"Claim is all great ballerinas have heads much smaller than average." [Boyd, 18 Oct. `93]. (For balance?)

"No matter what humorous intimates feel free to tell you, your skull is quite thin behind your eyes. It's [sic] thickest at its base, directly behind your jaw." [Boyd, 26 Nov. `92, pg. 28]

"... human heads weigh between 11 and 14 pounds." [Boyd, 1 May`90, pg. 21]

INDEX:    See the "C-n" indexes for anthropometric ratios for the head. See also "Auricular," "Jaw," "Mouth," "Nasal," "Neck," "Orbital," "Palpebral," and "Throat and Voice."