HIP:

The hip joints [Gray, p.268] have some ligatures that add to the structural integrity of the pelvic girdle. The distance between the hip joints, as measured by the center of the ball of the head of the femur, is wider in females than in a male of the same or equivalent population size.

Notes From Prosthetics:

Sometimes the medical discipline of prosthetics provides some information usable in androtics. Certain dimensions of a hip implant and socket for a flesh and blood human would be consistent with an HTA of the same physiognomy. That is the:

. Same size ball (head of the Femur) and its location, the

    . same length and angle of the neck with the Femur's head and shaft, the

    . same radius of the neck, the

    . same axial angle toward the neck and geometries of the shaft,

etc. of an artificial hip joint for a young female of a certain race; e.g. early twenties caucasoid; would be the same for such an android.

It is conceivable that production prosthesis can be used as a part to make the skeleton of an HTA. However, a make/buy decision would be to determine if it is worth the cost because the shaft and knee condyles would still need fabrication for your android. Also, the prosthetic would need to be securely seated or implanted into the shaft of the femur.

To do so, there is a gluing technique described in [NTB, Sept.`95, p.121]. A problem with unmodified prosthetics is that the adhesive moves along the joint in a laminar way which induces flaws for weakness and potential failure at the proximal end of the femur. The modified implant has a long hole drilled along the axis to allow excess material to evacuate. The cement is sealed to keep contact with the reamed cavity in the femur for insertion of the implant's stem. The excess material migrates up the hole, so this cement must be somewhat pliable.

Designing/Engineering Notes:

There are no applicable engineering notes to the hips, yet, as of migrated to this encyclopedia. Applicable notes will likely be in the Pelvis and the Legs topics. There may even be tidbits within the "trivia" subsection, but not much yet for this topic. However, this stub is in order for the following note:

    "Dancers long have claimed women are more vulnerable to knee injuries than men. Now that's [sic] also suggested by a study out of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Women's proportionally wider hips put more pressure on the knee joints, it's [sic] said." [Boyd, 17 Aug. `92, pg. 22].

Frame Elements:

There are no applicable frame elements for the hip topic. The "hip bones" that present themselves by their form at the surface or skin are either the Crest of the Ilium or the Great Trochanter of the Femur. The elements that are articulated in this joint are either bones of the Pelvis or of the Leg. Therefore, it will be inappropriate to enumerate frame elements so this is a stub.

Articulations:

Some of the salient ligatures articulating the hips around the pelvis are the:

.    Ligamentum Teres,

.    Synovial membrane,

.    Cotyloid Ligament,

.    Ilio-femoral ligature,

and the
.    Capsular ligament.

Once the femurs are attached to the pelvis via the hip joint ligatures, they can be attached to the main jig. Since this is a deep bone, the attach point can be a clamp or a threaded hole.

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 innermost muscles and fascia of and around the human hip areas are the topic of this section. A lot of these muscles affect standing, walking, running, and most other activities using the lower body.

Although this is close to a posterior part of the body, the way that some muscles attach to the femur and the pelvis may not lend themselves to that form of delineation. The muscles as illustrated in Gray's Fig. 254 are clearly along the boundary. Any anterior muscles will fit in the abdomen or leg group.

Gray's Anatomy's Fig. 254 indicated that this should be a separate topic from the pelvis and the legs. The applicable tissues and adductors for this innermost layer of the hips are:

.    Obturator internus,

.    Quadratus femoris,

.    Gluteus medius,

and the
.    Gluteus minimus.

The gluteus medius and minimus are used primarily when supporting the body on one leg. They also "abduct the thigh when the limb is extended." It is quite possible that this generation of androtics may combine these two muscles into one mechanism.

Gray illustrated many of these muscles in Fig. 254. There are many muscles in other groups that influence or act in or through the hips.

Intermediate Layer of Muscles and Other Tissues:

The intermediary muscles and fascia of and around the human hips are the topic of this section. Again, a lot of these muscles affect standing, walking, running, and most other activities using the lower body.

Gray begins his dissertation about muscles in this topic on page 418. The respective android muscles in this intermediary layer is empty, so this is a stub for this section.

Internal Components:

The respective internal components to the hips to be installed are the empty set. This does not mean that the pelvic girdle will not carry some components, to be noted within that topic. Therefore, this is another stub.

Outermost Layer of Muscles and Other Tissues:

The outermost, or subcutaneous muscles and fascia of and around the human hip areas are the topic of this section. Again, a lot of these muscles affect standing, walking, running, and most other activities using the lower body.

Gray begins his dissertation about muscles in this topic on page 426. The respective human and android muscles is the Gluteus maximus.

Again, this may seem like another "one muscle per section" topic. However, future revisions with better understanding of anatomy, or a systemic reorganization, or even with findings from android necessities, may demand an additional muscle.

Final Layers and Artifacts:

Certain subcutaneous fat is used to protect the skin from articulation abrading. A little more in femdroids adds to the feminine softness and curviness desired over the muscles over the bony protrubances. Too much fat in this region is endomorphic and with moribund fat.

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. However, if a joint must be, within this "bikini area" is as good of a place as any.

There are no applicable external artifacts for the hips. This statement is true when you disregard the human modesty needs for clothing.

Inspection Criteria:

The hips should swing out in a semi-circle and roll in the full human range of motion (ROM). If the android is to be feminine, then there should be female pelvic geometry apparent and more range of motion.

Trivia:

Most men are two inches bigger around at the hips than they are around the chest. [Boyd, 27 Jan.1999]

INDEX:    See also "abdomen," "femur," "pelvis," and "legs."