Glossary

A working list of terms used in the field, in plain language. Updated as terminology stabilizes.

The terminology of humanoid fashion is unsettled. Some terms come from couture and apparel, some from robotics, and a small number have been coined to describe situations neither vocabulary covers. This is an attempt to record what the words mean as they are currently used by people working in the field, including notes where usage is contested or where a term is being used inconsistently.

A, Apparel and couture terms

Atelier (noun, French): The workshop or studio where garments are designed and constructed. In the context of humanoid fashion, used to refer to specialised studios that maintain pattern blocks and fitting libraries for multiple humanoid platforms. Distinct from a contract-manufacturing facility, which produces garments to specifications supplied by an external designer.
Block (noun): A pattern template from which production patterns are derived. In humanoid fashion, blocks are platform-specific: a Tesla Optimus block is not transferable to a Boston Dynamics Atlas block. A serious brand maintains separate blocks for each platform it supports.
Drape (noun and verb): How fabric falls when worn. The drape of a garment depends on fabric weight, weave, and the underlying form. On humanoid platforms, drape is constrained by the geometry of actuator housings and the platform's articulation tolerances; what drapes well on a human may not drape well on a humanoid.
Sample (noun): A finished prototype garment used for fit testing, evaluation, or photography prior to production. Humanoid samples typically run several iterations per silhouette before a production-ready version is achieved.
Tech pack (noun, industry): The technical specification document supplied to a manufacturer to construct a garment. In humanoid fashion, tech packs include platform compatibility notes, sensor-clearance maps, and articulation tolerances in addition to the standard apparel-trade contents.

B, Robotics and platform terms

Actuator (noun): A motorized component in a humanoid robot that produces motion at a joint. Garments worn by humanoids must accommodate actuator placement, heat dissipation, and abrasion against the actuator housing during articulation.
Articulation (noun): The motion of a joint. Articulation tolerance refers to the range of motion the joint must accommodate; a garment that restricts articulation below the platform's required range is unfit for use.
Chassis (noun): The structural frame of a humanoid robot, typically composed of composite or metal panels enclosing internal mechanical and electronic components. Visible chassis surfaces are often the basis of the platform's industrial-design language.
DoF (initialism, "degrees of freedom"): The number of independent axes of motion a humanoid platform supports. Higher-DoF platforms have more articulation points, which generally requires more sophisticated pattern work to dress.
EM transparency (noun, "electromagnetic transparency"): The property of a fabric that does not interfere with electromagnetic signal transmission through it. Required for fabrics used over sensor housings, antenna arrays, and certain communication components on humanoid platforms.
Sensor housing (noun): The physical enclosure for a sensor on a humanoid platform. Sensor housings are typically located at the head, torso, and limb extremities. Garments must be cut to clear sensor housings or constructed from EM-transparent materials.

C, Hybrid and emerging terms

Carapace (noun): A garment that fits closely over the chassis surface, structured rather than draped. Used informally for full-coverage humanoid garments that take their form from the chassis underneath rather than from internal construction.
Chassis-cladding (noun): A non-garment covering applied directly to the chassis of a humanoid platform, typically a soft-shell or knit cover supplied by the manufacturer. The 1X NEO's knit covering is the canonical example. Chassis-cladding is sometimes treated as a fashion choice but is more accurately industrial design.
Humanoid couture (noun): Garments designed and constructed specifically for humanoid robotic platforms, typically at the high end of the apparel quality spectrum. Distinguished from chassis-cladding by being constructed as garments rather than as covers, and from ordinary humanoid apparel by being made to couture standards of finishing and material.
Kinematic pattern (noun): A pattern block drafted to accommodate the joint articulation of a specific humanoid platform. Kinematic patterns differ from human apparel patterns in their treatment of seam stress, fabric volume around actuators, and clearance for sensor housings.
Platform compatibility (noun): The set of humanoid platforms a particular garment is constructed to fit. Brands frequently publish platform-compatibility tables alongside product descriptions; a single silhouette may be available in multiple platform-compatibility variants.
Public-facing humanoid (noun, abbreviated PFH): A humanoid robot deployed in a role with regular customer or public interaction, typically hospitality, retail, healthcare, or corporate reception. Public-facing humanoids are the primary commercial market for humanoid garments.
Soft-goods integration (noun): The phase of a humanoid deployment in which the platform is dressed for its operating role. Often performed after the technical integration of the platform itself; the cost is sometimes overlooked in deployment planning.

Glossary additions and corrections are welcome. The list is intentionally small for now; entries are added when usage of a term is consistent enough across operators that recording the meaning serves the field. Editor: editor [at] humanoidfashion [dot] org.