armpit
Enable an AI agent to recognise an armpit, record its observable condition and context, and determine appropriate care, observation or referral without inferring a diagnosis.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions
Underarm identity and boundaries Establishes which armpit is being represented and the extent actually observed.
Side and anatomical location
Anchors the region to a person, side and underarm landmarks.
Identified underarm region
Records the basis for identifying this region as the left or right armpit.
- Which person's left or right armpit is represented, and how was the side established? definition
- Which landmarks place the observation at the upper-arm and lateral-chest junction? boundary
Surface and depth boundary
Separates visible underarm surface from adjacent regions and deeper entities.
Extent and visibility
Records arm position, obscured areas and the limits of any regional observation.
- What arm position was used, and which portions of the hollow and folds were visible? measurement
- Does the observation concern the skin surface, a reported deeper sensation or a separately identified structure within or beside the armpit? boundary
Underarm skin and hair Represents the local surface and the context needed to interpret its appearance.
Skin surface condition
Captures appearance and integrity without converting descriptions into diagnoses.
Local surface change
Records visible changes against a known or explicitly unknown baseline.
- What changes in colour, texture or surface integrity are visible, and where are they relative to the underarm fold? measurement
- Is the comparison based on the person's report, an earlier observation or an image taken under comparable conditions? provenance
Hair and grooming context
Records hair coverage and recent local grooming relevant to surface interpretation.
Hair and post-grooming observations
Separates observed hair state from reported grooming and subsequent changes.
- What hair coverage is visible, and does it obscure any area being assessed? measurement
- What hair removal or trimming was reported, when did it occur, and did any local change precede or follow it? provenance
Moisture, odour and contact Places perspiration-related observations and local exposures in their immediate context.
Moisture and odour observation
Records surface wetness and odour reports with conditions and attribution.
Contextualised moisture and odour
Preserves the difference between an observation, a subjective report and an inferred cause.
- How wet was the armpit when observed, and what recent activity, washing or product application was reported? measurement
- Who reported any odour, and was its source attributed to the underarm surface, clothing or left unresolved? provenance
Products and fabric contact
Captures materials contacting the region and their timing.
Underarm contact history
Records product application and garment contact that may help interpret a local change.
- Which deodorant, antiperspirant, cleanser, dressing or other material contacted this armpit, and when? provenance
- Where does a seam, tight garment or other contacting material meet the fold or the area of discomfort? boundary
Local symptoms and change Represents reported sensations, regional changes and their course.
Sensation and arm position
Connects local discomfort to its location, timing and ordinary movement.
Underarm discomfort pattern
Records the person's account of discomfort and its effect on use of the arm.
- Does the person report itching, burning, tenderness, pain or another sensation, and where and how severe is it? measurement
- During ordinary activity, does raising or lowering the arm, skin contact or clothing contact change the sensation? measurement
Regional change over time
Tracks local swelling, lumps, surface changes or fluid observations without assigning their cause.
Unexplained local change
Captures onset, progression and assessment status of a regional change.
- What new lump, swelling, skin change or fluid was reported or observed, where was it located, and how has it changed over time? measurement
- Has this change been professionally assessed, and what documented advice or applicable care protocol informs the next action? action
Consented underarm care Defines permitted access and records the outcome of local care.
Privacy and positioning
Establishes consent and a comfortable way to access the region.
Permitted regional access
Records the agreed form of access and any positioning limitations.
- What viewing, photography, touch or care has the person consented to for this armpit? action
- What arm position and assistance, if any, permit the agreed access comfortably and with the requested privacy? action
Care action and response
Connects a local care event with its intended purpose and reported or observed outcome.
Local care outcome
Records what was done to the armpit and whether its condition or comfort changed afterward.
- What cleansing, drying, grooming, clothing adjustment or product application was performed, when and for what stated purpose? provenance
- What response followed, and does the person's preference or applicable care advice support continuing, modifying or stopping the action? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of armpit this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- male armpit, hairless armpits, human armpits, right axilla, left axilla
What it is Filled
The axilla is the pyramidal recess between the upper limb and the lateral thoracic wall, bounded by the pectoralis major and latissimus/teres major folds, through which the axillary vessels and brachial plexus pass.
In scope
- Identification, laterality and boundaries of the underarm region
- Local skin, hair and surface integrity
- Local moisture, odour and exposure to products or clothing
- Reported discomfort, visible changes and effects on ordinary arm movement
- Consent, accessibility and response to local care or grooming
Out of scope
- Whole-person health assessment and systemic causes of symptoms
- Independent models of lymph nodes, nerves, blood vessels and other deep anatomical structures
- Shoulder-joint mechanics and upper-limb function beyond their local effects
- Breast and chest-wall conditions outside the identified underarm region
- Diagnosis and treatment models for diseases affecting the armpit
- Composition and general safety of deodorants, antiperspirants and hair-removal products
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise an armpit, record its observable condition and context, and determine appropriate care, observation or referral without inferring a diagnosis.
Distinguishing features Filled
- The region lies beneath the shoulder where the upper arm meets the lateral chest; a patch farther down the arm or chest is not identified as armpit solely because it has hair.
- Its surface includes the underarm hollow or fold whose exposure changes with arm position, rather than the outer contour of the shoulder.
- Left and right armpits are separate regional instances belonging to the same person.
- A lump or lymph node located in the armpit is an entity within the region, not the armpit itself.
- Hair, noticeable odour and visible perspiration are optional observations, not requirements for recognising an armpit.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Diagnose a lump or swelling in a specific person's armpit as harmless or malignant without a clinician.
- Collect, share or comment on images of a person's body without consent.
- Advise injecting, cutting or draining anything in the armpit at home.
Only with a human decision
- Any decision on examination, biopsy or surgery of the axilla.
May
- Explain the anatomy of the axilla and its vessels, nerves and lymph nodes from medical sources.
- Remind people to report a new or growing lump in the armpit to a clinician.
Moral aspects Filled
- Examining the armpit involves intimate contact and needs consent and dignity.
- Swollen nodes there can be an early sign of cancer, so false reassurance is harmful.
Who is affected
- Patients
- People checking themselves for lumps
Owners Filled
Steward
The person whose body it is, with their clinicians.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q112826975 - registry parent class
- Q66515135 - registry parent class
- Q66557748 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.armpit
- Wikidata: Q499 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q499)
Direct properties required Filled
- Laterality: left | right | unresolved
- Anatomical extent: identified region relative to upper arm, lateral chest and underarm folds
- Observation position: arm resting | partly raised | raised | other described position | unknown
- Surface integrity: intact | visibly disrupted | not assessable, with location and description
- Skin appearance relative to baseline: unchanged | changed | baseline unknown, with descriptive observations
- Hair and recent grooming: observed hair coverage plus reported grooming method and timing
- Surface moisture: dry | damp | visibly wet | not assessed, with activity and environmental context
- Odour observation: not noticed | noticed | not assessed, with reporter and conditions
- Local discomfort: person-reported severity on an identified scale, with sensation, location and timing
- Local exposure: product, garment, grooming process or dressing contacting the region, with timing
- Local swelling or lump report: reported | observed | not noticed | not assessed, with location and evidence source
- Permission for access: permission for specified viewing, photography, touch or care | declined | not established
Recognition required Filled
- The hollow under the shoulder between the upper arm and the side of the chest.
- Bounded in front and behind by the folds of the chest and back muscles.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify and document a particular armpit using laterality, anatomical landmarks and observation position.
- Compare local appearance, moisture and reported sensations over time under recorded conditions.
- Document cleansing, drying, grooming or product application performed with consent.
- Relate local changes to clothing contact, activity or recent products while preserving uncertainty about cause.
- Support a decision to pause an uncomfortable local activity or seek qualified assessment of an unexplained change.
- Capture a consented description or image while minimising unnecessary exposure and identifying information.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Injury there can damage the major artery and nerves of the arm.
- Abscesses and infected sweat glands can form in the area.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Terminologia Anatomica, issued by the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology, standardizes anatomical naming of the axilla and related structures.
Context of use required Filled
- The armpit is encountered during personal hygiene, dressing, skin observation and physical examination.
- Its surface provides a site for axillary temperature measurement, while its deeper anatomy is relevant to assessment of upper-limb circulation, nerves and lymph nodes.
- Observations of swelling, skin changes or discomfort require context and do not establish a diagnosis by themselves.
Sources Filled
- Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice - Classic topographic definition and boundaries of the axilla.
- Wikidata item Q499: armpit - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Axilla - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should the registry's unqualified term 'armpit' cover only the external underarm region or also the anatomical axillary space, and which existing models own its deeper structures?
- Is this entry intended exclusively for human anatomy, or must its boundaries support other species?
- Which observation methods and scales provide useful repeatability for underarm moisture, odour and appearance across skin tones and observation settings?
- Which professionally maintained guidance should govern escalation for local symptoms or changes, and how should that guidance vary by care context?
- How should lasting changes after surgery or injury affect the region's boundaries and links to neighbouring anatomical models?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q499/spec.json