#android headcanon

1.2: Circulatory

One of the most important systems, this system pumps 'blood' (Thirium, also known as Blue Blood™) throughout the body and supplies 'organs' (biocomponents) with the Thirium they need to function.

Thirium 310 is a blue substance, derived from the element of Thirium. This refined mix is an important part of an android's function. Not only does Thirium act as blood for an android it serves other functions.

Thirium carries electric pulses and various data such as system statuses, identifying information (model, serial number, registered name, etc), and readies information for transfer between other androids. The electric pulses help the biocomponents to function as well as work with the android’s ‘nervous’ system to allow for movements.

Within this system, there is the Thirium pump, the Thirium Pump Regulator, Thirium, and tubing all on the interior of an android, as well as fine Thirium vessels found in the interior as well as several exterior locations that help with the artificial skin.

Parts of the Circulatory System:

- Thirium Pump

The android heart. Sits in the upper left-center of the chest. Located almost in the same place as a human's heart and its appearance looks rather the same as well. It looks like a metal human heart.

The Thirium Pump shares a very similar appearance to that of a human heart but lacks several major features that a human heart holds. It varies in color from a blue to a red or gray color.

A healthy Thirium Pump glows a bright to light blue, the same tint blue as Thirium. When damaged, not optimally running, or in androids that are in the process of shutting down the pump will beat with a bright red glow. As the android shuts down or Thirium supply is lost to the bicomponent the glow fades until the heart darkens.

- Thirium Pump Regulator

Located above the navel and below the sternum, the Thirium Pump Regulator, Regulates the heartbeat by regulating how fast the Thirium Pump beats. An android's heart should beat at around 50 to 90 beats per minute.

The closer to 50 the better. Below 50 bpm might not be an issue and can fall below 50 when they are in stand by, sleep or low power modes. However serious problems can occur or be at fault for the low bpm. The lower the bpm the more danger the android is in with the potential for overheating or even shut down.

Higher than 90 bpm and problems can also occur. An android could overheat, go into a state that equivalent to cardiac arrest and even shut down. The thirium pump regulator is easily removed, and can easily be fixed or replaced if needed. But without it, the android will shut down within minutes.

- Thirium

The blood of an android. Often referred to as blue blood due to its color and function. Blue blood is the trademarked name given to Thirium by CyberLife.

Thirium that pumps through an android body is specifically Thirium 310.

Thirium helps biocomponents function, helps regulate internal temperatures (along with the thermal regulator), supplies energy, and carries data.

Used Thirium carries the data of the android it pumped through. Within this data is an android's model and serial numbers.

Healthy Thirium levels in adult-sized models should be around four (4) to five (5) liters, very similar to that of human blood. Smaller androids require less Thirium and their optimal levels should range between two (2) to three (3) liters. This is why even minor damage can be fatal to child units. Thirium levels can fall when an android becomes damaged. Thirium levels can be replenished orally or intravenously.

Androids can lose some thirium without being in danger, and sometimes they naturally lose small amounts. But when their levels fall below a certain amount the android will automatically shut down.

Thirium pressure is the pressure at which the blood pumps through the body. A healthy android's blood pressure is the same as human blood pressure, which is 120/70 with damage arising with lower or higher rates.

- Tubing

Androids are made with various tubes and wires that transport thirium and data. There are tubes are throughout the body, under the outer shell, but some are closer to the surface.

The circulatory system is made up of tubing of varying sizes that are sometimes referred to as lines, these tubes carry Thirium throughout the body to biocomponents much like the veins and arteries of a human's body.  Veins carry thirium from biocomponents and arteries carry thirium to biocomponents.

Tubing and lines are 'softer' and most are very flexible. Tubes can be made up of several types of material. The makeup of veins and arteries can vary by model or even within a single android body. The specific make up does not matter, as long as the size and flexibility are proper to what is needed.

An android's body has several main arteries and many veins and arteries in a complex network. Many of these connect biocomponents to one another so that thirium and data can be carried and circulated throughout the body. Some of these are similar to a human's anatomy while many others are original to an android's complex make up.

Notable lines and tubes:

- Jugular Tubes

      Android bodies much like a human contain a jugular vein. The location closely mimics a human's. This larger vein runs along the neck and if served will allow the android to quickly bleed out, causing a swift shut down. There are two jugular veins. Exterior and interior. The exterior vein is closer to the surface, just under the frame. The interior vein is buried deeper into the body.

- Femoral Lines and Tubes

Once more just like humans, androids have femoral veins and arteries in their legs. While the location is similar the appearance is unique to androids. These larger veins and arteries carry a large Thirium supply to and from the legs, feet, and biocomponents in the lower half of the body.

- Carotid Line

Major Thirium vessels that carry blood to the processor, neck, and face. There are two lines on either side of the neck. One of the few lines that are similar to a human's anatomy with its location, appearance, and function.

- Coronary Tubes

Androids do not have a human smell to them, they mostly always smell faintly of plastic. The smell is more prominent when they are factory new but will fade over time.

However CyberLife came up with a solution for that. Most personal Androids are equipped with a 'smell dispenser' that gives the Android a more pleasant smell. It's basically deodorant or perfume for androids that is distributed over the synthetic skin.

There is a variety of scents available, from a plain basic 'humane' to more exotic ones like vanilla, cotton candy, mango, banana, everything you can think of.

In reference to this ask

I can’t place a finger on where I stand for pre-revolution child androids being able to ‘grow’ into adult bodies, but it would certainly become a norm, if not a law, for them to have that opportunity. Certainly by the time Alice is the same chronological age as a teenager at least she would have the ability to have a new, older-looking body that’s more reflective of her cognitive growth and maturity.

In all honesty, I can imagine it becoming quite a market, perhaps even spilling into androids of all ages. I know that it’s canon that androids are technically gender-fluid, but I like the idea of there being even a small market for androids who would like a body that best fits their wants and needs in a sex, gender and other categories.

Hell, now that I’m on the thought, perhaps it’s not so much changing out their entire body as it is simply body modification or upgrades! Perhaps it was debated for a long time for the best way to do it--Cyberlife, after much internal debate, eventually allowed for the release of internal schematics to smaller companies to flourish in android body modification and upgrades. 

Child androids can ‘grow’ in a seemingly-natural way, year by year, allowing them to experience childhood (or bypass it completely should they choose), and androids can have themselves modified in whatever way that feels best for them. This could be an upgrade to allow for sexual relationships with a human partner, but it could also be equivalent to HRT or such, allowing them to be in the body and act as a gender they identify if their current body wasn’t designed in that way.

To some degree, I think they do! They certainly have the ability to distinguish music from ambient sound or environmental noise, and similarly would be able to have a distinct preference for one set or pattern of music from another. I think Connor offers us an interesting look at how androids interact with music--while he’s getting to know Hank, he makes an offhand comment about liking heavy metal music. When Hank asks him to elaborate, Connor responds with: 

Connor: Well, I don't really listen to music, as such. But I'd like to.

So they certainly can enjoy music, it just seems like they experience it in a different way than humans do. This could even be an aspect relating to deviancy, since this is a line from Connor very early in the game, far before he starts down the pathway to deviancy, so his ability to experience music like a human could easily grow as time goes on and he spends more time with hank. 

Since they’re less-biological than us, it’s interesting to think that, maybe perhaps, they can experience music in a way that we can’t. Think about those music visualizers. Now imagine that being less of a visual experience like what we have, and more of a sensory experience for an android--they can literally feel the music in a way that we can’t, so preference could most certainly come from that alone!

That’s a really good question! It’s something I’ve been curious about since playing the game, especially since there’s nothing explicitly stated about her functions with eating.

For reference, here is what we know that is canon about the YK500 model of android:

The YK500 model is designed by Cyberlife to simulate the look, behavior and needs of a child. The first model, marketed in 2033, was an immediate commercial success that has continued to this day, to the point that the very significant decline in human birthrates are largely attributed to the success of this range.

Particularly advanced, the YK models are able to simulate the symptoms of several childhood illnesses, on top of cold and fever, but can also replicate pain, sadness, joy, as well as other classic childlike behaviors. Their LEDs can even be deactivated to maintain the perfect illusion.

It does mention that they can simulate childlike behaviors and needs, but it doesn’t mention hunger anywhere. 

Considering what we know of androids and how they’re constructed (at least on a basic level) they don’t have any real reason or need to eat, as they get their energy from their thirium pump regulator (that’s the cylinder pressed into about where their belly button would be–removing it can shut an android down).

I imagine that there would be lines of androids that have the capability to simulate eating, but there would have to be a very complicated system designed (and planned) for where exactly that food goes after it’s been put into the stomach, with very few options all that pleasing to think about. 

The best idea I can think of is that they can simulate eating (as in, storing food in a stomach pouch with no real exit) and then later dump out the contents like they would say, a trash bag or something. 

Quick theory, (though it sounds dumb and impossible) since science adavce alot, do you think scientists would had somehow create a way for android and other machines to convert thinks into eother energy or substance? Or um, I guess what I'm tryin to say is maybe the androids can convert the food into oxygen or something? Yeah now that I texted this and rereading it, it does sound kinda weird ('-')...

I love the idea! I honestly agree with the headcanon; while it makes sense that there would be little-to-no priority with making individual androids unique from one another of their same model pre-revolution, post-revolution (especially if its done via the pacifist ending for Markus) would certainly bring about a lot of changes to the law to allow for resources for androids.

Fans. Everything about him was supposed to appeal to them. What did they like, what did they hate, what did they want. Apparently, they got a lot of complaints about his voice, which Piko didn't understand, he liked his voice and the vocal range was suppose to mirror what he could do, so why were people upset?

Sony had tried to mess with his voice, Piko didn't like when that happened since he was supposed to be awake for it. Talking with someones hands in your throat—android or not it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

Why wasn't what Piko was good enough? Why did humans dislike what they create? Why were they always looking for the flaws in everything? If you put your heart and soul into making something, shouldn't you be proud of it no matter how little it is? Piko was an android, he was a creation, but he was given feelings too. He didn't have a soul but he thought and felt so wasn't what he wanted important too? If you give something the ability to feel shouldn't you care about what they might feel when you say or do something?

Humans were confusing.. they tell each other to believe in themselves, to like what they do and have faith in their creation whether it's art or music, programming, but when it comes themselves... what they told others suddenly doesn't count.

The old saying was; treat others the way you want to be treated, so shouldn't you believe what you tell other people?

Piko just—he wanted to be good enough as he was, he wanted people to be proud of him, he wanted... to be acknowledged as worth someone remembering. The longer he sat here, the more lengths of times passed before someone else came in, before someone checked up on him or wanted him. Was it so easy to forget him? To place him aside because they had better projects that were more popular?

Did anyone remember him?

The strange warm liquid they had put in him to act as tears started to drip down his face and Piko tried to rub them away. He didn't even know what he was feeling, no one had explained it to him, they didn't tell him anything, they talked like he wasn't even there when they were in the same room. He was nothing but a robot to them even if they did give him self-awareness.

There was one thing Piko understood though-- he was lonely. Sitting here everyday, in the empty room was eating away at him. He wanted people to talk to, he wanted someone to share his thoughts with, he wanted friends.

Friends wouldn't forget him right? He would be remembered, he would matter to them, that was how it was supposed to be right?

Friends cared for each other.